Kindred Spirits
by TitansRule
Summary: AU. Aiden returns to New York to find one best friend married with a daughter and the other mourning his lost love. But while Lindsay tells her their story, Jess's autopsy yields a surprising result. Part of my series of the same name. FA, DL.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: CSI: New York doesn't belong to me. Never has; never will.**

**I have sort of edited this and rewritten parts, since I now have the show on DVD, so I can work out the errors I'd made. For those of you who don't know, this fits into my Walking With Angels series, after 'Pay Up' (not to be confused with the C2, though it is in there too).**

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Chapter One

"Sweet dreams, baby girl." Lindsay Messer pressed one last kiss to her daughter's head before laying her in the crib, whereupon she simply rolled over and continued to sleep.

For a few minutes, Lindsay just watched the baby dream, but her thoughts were interrupted by a banging on the door. She frowned and left the nursery, closing the door quietly behind her.

The banging stopped, but Lindsay didn't drop her guard for a second; Danny was at work and she refused to endanger Lucy in any way. Quietly, she slipped her gun out of the holster hanging over the back of one of the chairs and moved to the door, looking through the peep-hole.

She couldn't see anyone, which ruled out Flack, who had taken compassionate leave from New York's finest since Jessica Angell was killed a month ago; cab drivers the city over had stopped taking him to whatever bar he directed them to and began taking him straight to their apartment building.

Lindsay glanced down at the gun in her hand and was silently chiding herself for being so paranoid – clearly someone had needed help and had moved onto the next apartment when there was no answer – when the knocking started again, weaker this time and lower down.

"Danny…"

The voice was low and tremulous, as though its owner was crying. But the thing that caught Lindsay's attention was that it was female. And Danny didn't have any female relatives – Messers only make boys, he'd told her while she was pregnant with Lucy.

_Oh, tell me this isn't an ex; I don't have the energy to deal with this right now._

Slowly, Lindsay opened the door a little, to find a woman her age slumped on the floor beside the door, a lone tear making its way down her cheek. Transferring her piece to her left hand, she crouched down and put a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Hi."

The woman lifted her head and Lindsay bit back a gasp. _Aiden. Aiden Burn._

She knew very little about the detective she had replaced, only that she and Danny had been best friends ("she was my sister," he had explained, when insisting they give Lucy Aiden as her middle name). In fact, the only time her curiosity had come close to being sated was the murder charge they finally locked DJ Pratt up for: the team had spent the case thinking they were solving Aiden's murder, going by the digital reconstruction of the skull and the clues that had been left behind. Soon after Pratt's arrest, Sid had finally gotten around to checking Aiden's dental records and the truth had been realised; the victim, although bearing a stunning resemblance to the ex-CSI, was a complete stranger and Aiden had seemingly vanished into thin air.

Now, here she was, back in New York, outside Lindsay's front door.

"Sorry." Aiden wiped her eyes hurriedly. "I was looking for someone. I went to his old apartment; one of his neighbours mentioned this address…"

"Danny's at work." Lindsay explained, suddenly feeling very nervous. "My name's Lindsay, Lindsay Monroe. Well, Messer now, actually."

Although her eyes were still wet, Aiden's face broke into a smile and she accepted the other woman's help to her feet before embracing her tightly. "You mean he finally stepped up?!"

"Well, it was a little more complicated than that." Lindsay admitted. "Do you wanna come in? Danny should be home in an hour or so."

"That'd be great, thanks." Aiden replied, following Lindsay in.

Lindsay followed her gaze to her hand and blushed. "Sorry. You can't be too careful." She put her gun away and gestured to the kitchen table. "Do you want a coffee or something? You sounded upset outside."

"Coffee would be great, thanks." Aiden sighed. "It's DJ Pratt. I took a week's vacation at Dad's insistence and when I got back, he'd vanished. I've been tracking the company all over America and I can't find a trace of him."

Lindsay raised an eyebrow. "Unsurprising. He's in prison."

Aiden's smile grew. "Tell me you're not joking."

Lindsay couldn't help smiling as well. "No, we got him. On your murder actually. Well, obviously it wasn't _your _murder, but we thought it was and…"

"Lindsay." Aiden cut in. "Why don't you start from the beginning? And throw in how you and Messer hooked up while you're at it."

Lindsay handed her a mug of coffee and sat down, leaning back in her chair to survey her companion. There were things about her and Danny that not even he knew and it would be nice to finally get it all out. "Alright. First of all, I guess you should know that I was the detective Mac brought in to replace you."

"And…?" Aiden prompted. "Wait. Were you expecting me to resent you for that?"

"No." Lindsay smiled slightly. "I've heard enough about you to know that you wouldn't. I … I resented you for it though." She fell into a thoughtful silence, wondering how to explain her thoughts.

Aiden didn't push for her to continue, letting her work things through.

Finally, Lindsay let out a shaky breath. "I grew up in Bozeman, in Montana. It's tiny, compared to New York. When I heard that Mac had requested me personally, I knew I couldn't pass it up. I didn't know why you'd left or been fired or whatever; it didn't matter to me. But moving to a big city, away from my family, it scared me."

Aiden reached across the table and took her hand. "I bet. It scared me and I only moved from Brooklyn."

"I probably shouldn't listen to the lab techs…" Lindsay began.

Aiden snorted. "They're the cheerleaders of the CSI lab, Lindsay; anything that comes out of their mouth outside of evidence analysis is pure crap. But go on."

"After every case I worked, I'd hear them in the locker room: 'Aiden wouldn't have done it that way'." Lindsay sighed, shaking her head. "I know it's stupid, but it got to me. And Danny…"

"Oh, I thought it'd have something to do with him." Aiden smirked knowingly. "Daniel Messer can act just like a spoilt child sometimes. What did he do to you?"

Lindsay laughed. "Well, first day on the job, some guy gets dumped in the tiger enclosure. I get there and Mac tells me that I need to hold the tiger's jaw so he can take an impression. Before I have time to get my gloves on, Danny's at my side. "Just take a deep breath," he told me, "and don't let him know you're afraid, cause he can sense when you're nervous." I pointed out that the tiger was tranquilised and he said, "I was talking about Mac. And make sure you call him sir."

Aiden winced. "Oh, that's low! Mac hates that!"

Lindsay sighed. "Yeah, I figured that out. Don't get me wrong, Mac and Stella and Hawkes and Sid … they were all great. But I always felt like 'the country girl'. Danny constantly calling me 'Montana' didn't help. But time went by and it got a little better. I mean, he still called me that, but it was more of a … more of a nickname than anything else. And I just got tired of telling him to stop."

Aiden chuckled. "I know that feeling."

Lindsay laughed with her and let herself ramble for a while about old cases, memories flittering in and out of her mind…

…finding Danny with Adam and Hawkes, watching Tara Stanfield's sex-tape…

…demonstrating how a doll-doctor had been holding one of his 'patients' too tightly for a coincidence and finishing up just holding hands in the middle of the street, until both realised what they were doing…

…being called to a crime scene in the middle of her first date in New York and feeling really irritated, until Danny caught sight of her formal attire and stood up to greet her ("Well hello, Miss Monroe. You clean up nice.")…

…meeting him at Cozy's and telling him something about Mac that he _didn't _know…

…making him lose a bet by eating deep-fried spiders, but winning a dinner with him in the process, however unconventional the meal had been…

…bribing him to help her with a reconstruction and ending up in his arms as he carried her across a roof-top garden…

…Danny teasing her about the _necrophilia Americano _bugs…

…having a perfectly normal conversation with him about the merits of phone sex (it was only afterwards that she realised how weird that was)…

…meeting him at the scene of Tyrell "Superman" Man's murder and reciting what she knew about the vic and his surprise at her football knowledge ("it's dangerous," he'd said, "I might ask you to marry me.")…

But now her voice faltered, remembering what came next.

Aiden sighed. "I'm guessing something big happened."

"Yeah, we got an old homicide." Lindsay confirmed. "Someone called in telling us where we could find a body and then shot himself. We found the body with a cigarette butt … the DNA came back to Danny."

"No…" Aiden whispered. "Danny wouldn't…"

"I know." Lindsay took a deep breath. "That's why I showed Danny the results first. He took them to Mac; told him he only ran with Tanglewood once, but had left when he realised there was a kid tied up in the back of the trunk and that they were gonna hurt him. We were all outside the office and he looked at me … straight at me … ignored the others … and the look in his eyes … it was like he was begging me not to give up on him. And Danny Messer does not beg."

"No, he doesn't." Aiden frowned. "So what happened?"

Lindsay sighed. "Louie happened. He went after the actual murderer and confronted him wearing a wire. Long story short, Danny ended up cleared and Louie ended up in hospital, brain-dead. They … They pulled the plug three months later."

"Oh God…" Aiden ran a hand through her hair. "I should have been here."

Lindsay squeezed her hand. "Danny took it bad, but he doesn't blame you for that. I heard very little about you, actually, until…"

"Until Pratt upped the ante." Aiden guessed, "Alright, what happened."

Lindsay took a deep breath, remembering the day clearly. "We'd found a body in the front of a burned out car. It couldn't belong to the car's owner – he was a male and Sid said the body was definitely female. And then … Sheldon started a digital reconstruction and paged us all 911…"

_Lindsay was the first person to reach the room, and found Sheldon Hawkes with Stella Bonasera, both staring at a skull on the computer screen. "What's going on?"_

_To her surprise, the greeting Hawkes gave her was hollow, empty, and Stella let out a sob, covering her mouth with one hand._

"_What's happened?" Lindsay repeated, with more conviction, hurrying to Stella's side. "Stella?"_

_Almost immediately, she heard two voices echo her question and glanced over her shoulder to see Mac Taylor enter with Danny._

_Hawkes, who had clearly had time to get over whatever shock had caught Stella's attention, leaned in to whisper in Lindsay's ear, "Watch Messer for me; someone's got to."_

_Lindsay swallowed hard and glanced at Stella, before moving back slightly, keeping one eye her regular crime scene partner._

_Hawkes cleared his throat, catching her attention again. "That's a scan of the skull of the victim. This…" he pressed a button, giving the skull flesh and skin once more. "…is a 3D reconstruction. This…" a sketch of a face appeared over the top of the skull "…is a sketch of what the victim should have looked like. And this…" A photograph appeared transparent over the top of that, leaving no doubt that it was the same person. "This is Detective Aiden Burn."_

_Mac let out a shaky breath and pulled Stella into his arms, letting her cry into his shirt. For a few seconds, the only sound in the room was her sobs. Then…_

_BANG!_

_Lindsay jumped as Danny's fist hit the wall, almost cracking the plaster, before he sank to the ground, not even bothering to hide the tears. She hesitated for a second – she and Danny worked together a lot, but that was it; even when Stella had been in the hospital and she had broken down halfway through an interrogation, Danny had squeezed her arm and told her they had to solve the case._

_Maybe that was the way he worked._

_But it wasn't her way. Tentatively, she crouched beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, not sure if he would want her comfort – she was, after all, Aiden's replacement – but he leaned into her, prompting her to embrace him tightly, her eyes straying to the photograph…_

"It wasn't how I'd imagined you." Lindsay commented.

"Well, no, I should think you'd imagined me alive." Aiden retorted.

Lindsay laughed. "No. That's not what I meant. I meant that … I hadn't been told an awful lot about you and … they made you sound like Superwoman. I don't know what I expected, I guess, just someone … less human. Am I making sense?"

Aiden was silent for a minute. "No. But I understand anyway."

Lindsay shook her head. "All we really focused on was how we'd get the son of a bitch that did this. You'd … I mean, the victim ... she'd been beaten to death. We thought it was the owner of the car at first, because he reported that he'd just seen his car being stolen three hours after we found it burned out."

Aiden snorted. "When will these people learn? If you're gonna lie, at least try to make it convincing!"

"I know, right?" Lindsay agreed. "Danny walked into the precinct just as we were taking him out of interrogation. Three officers had to hold him back; it was the full alpha male thing. "Is that him? Is that the scum-bag who killed Aiden? Oh come on, Mac; just give me five minutes. I'll get him to crack." I think he could have as well." She added as an afterthought.

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "I thought the guy was innocent."

"He was." Lindsay confirmed. "But you didn't see the look in Danny's eyes. Didn't you ever hear the joke about the NYPD officer sent in to a forest to look for a rabbit?"

Aiden frowned. "No."

"He emerged with a badly-beaten bear, who was crying "I'm a rabbit! I'm a rabbit!"" Lindsay smirked.

Aiden laughed. "Very nice. When did you realise it was Pratt?"

"When we realised you'd been following him." Lindsay answered quietly. "She did look stunningly like you, Aiden; we know who she is now. He was trying to kill _you_; he started stalking another victim assuming you'd be following him. Our vic definitely noticed, went to see if the girl was okay. She … she never stood a chance." She took a sip of coffee, trying to read Aiden's expression. "She left bite-marks on the armrest and on him. That was enough."

Aiden shook her head again and buried her face in her hands, silent sobs overtaking her body. Without hesitating, Lindsay moved her chair round next to Aiden and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a hug and letting her crying into her shoulder.

It took Aiden several minutes to compose herself, but it was less time than Lindsay had anticipated. She loosened her grip and handed the other woman a tissue, giving her time to dry her eyes.

"I can't believe it." Aiden muttered. "All that work to stop him raping again and he went and murdered someone."

"You wouldn't have stood a chance either." Lindsay pointed out gently.

"But there'd have been a reason for me…" Aiden began.

"Everything happens for a reason." Lindsay interrupted firmly. "Danny wouldn't have coped. As it was, I got a call at 3am the night in between from a bartender."

Aiden groaned. "I'm gonna have to have a word with him about that. Come on, we've got this far; let's hear the rest of it."

Lindsay smiled weakly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

Aiden nodded. "Yeah. Let's hear it."

"Well, there was a huge bomb threat, but that was cleared up pretty quickly. Except the first bomb went off with Mac and Don in the building…"

Aiden gasped. "Were they okay?"

Lindsay winced, remembering the sight of Flack being carted out by EMT officers. "Don nearly died; if it weren't for Mac, he may well have done. It looked like half his stomach had been blown away." She shuddered involuntarily. "The only reason I wasn't inside was because I'd left one of my cases in the car."

"And let me guess…" Aiden smirked slightly. "Danny was the first person to notice you were injured in any way."

Lindsay blushed slightly. "It was just a small cut. But yeah. About a month later … actually, it might have been closer to two, but it's not really important, we had this case where three girls dressed up as Holly Golightly to rob a jewellery store. One we found dead and then we found out there was a diamond smuggling ring involved…" She shook her head. "It's never open and close, is it? Before SWAT could move in, we caught one of the others, who told us that they had the third held hostage; she had twenty minutes to get everything they took or they were going to kill her. We didn't have enough time to wait for undercover, so I said I'd do it. We were the same size and they'd been wearing wigs."

Aiden nodded understandingly. "I did the same thing, but I got found out. Stella said Danny looked like he was ready to ignore her orders and just run in."

Lindsay bit her lip. "Well, he went one better this time. He did ignore her orders and run in."

"_Who are you?"_

_Lindsay tried to keep her voice steady. "Beth."_

_The man picked up a framed picture on the desk and she felt her heart quicken. If that picture was of the three girls, he would know she wasn't who she said she was._

_He slammed the picture down with such force the glass shattered and lifted his gun so it was aimed at her face. "Try again. Who are you?"_

_Lindsay didn't respond._

"_Who are you?!" He repeated._

_Without blinking, Lindsay dropped the bag in her hand and the flash bomb went off. In the same second, she dove forward, knocking the hostage to the floor as smoke filled the room. The noise that came with it surprised her, making her ears ring and blocking out the sounds of the SWAT team moving in._

_But one voice was audible over even that. "Lindsay? Lindsay?"_

"_Danny." Lindsay staggered to her feet, knowing the hostage – Danielle? Dana? – would be taken care of. She must have been imagining it; Danny never used her real name. It was always Montana, which she'd hated to start with but now made her feel … safe._

_No matter what was going on in her life, Danny was constant: Montana implied fun, friendship and an unspoken bond between them._

_She had never expected him to call her name – her real name – with such worry and desperation_

_Yet here he was, his hands steadying her, staying on her arms even after she'd got her balance, one moving to cup her face, as if reassuring himself that she was alright, before pulling her into his arms._

_Lindsay buried her face into his strong chest, breathing in the scent that was just unmistakably him._

Aiden smiled at the red tinting Lindsay's cheeks. "And then he asked you out."

Lindsay's blush deepened. "Yeah. And I…" She sighed. "I stood him up."

Aiden's mouth fell open. "You what?"

"I stood him up." Lindsay repeated heavily. "I was in two minds about accepting in the first place and then I got a call…" She sighed. "When I was fourteen, I was at a diner with my best friends. Apart from the waitress, we were the only people in there. While I was in the restroom, a man came in with a gun. I was the only witness … the only survivor. I thought I'd left it all behind, but…" She shook her head. "I got a call from Bozeman saying they'd arrested the guy but they'd need me to come back to testify."

"Danny would have understood." Aiden told her softly.

"Yeah, he would." Lindsay agreed. "But everyone treated me differently back home after it happened, when people found out. Here … no one did. I didn't want sympathy. I didn't want to be 'the lucky one'; I sure as hell didn't feel lucky." She took another shaky breath. "I told Danny that I really liked him, but I needed space to work some things through. He told me to take all the time I needed."

"That's Danny." Aiden agreed.

"Yeah." Lindsay smiled fondly. "And I…" She was cut off by the phone ringing, swiftly followed by a cry coming from the nursery. "Damn. Could you…?"

"Sure." Aiden got to her feet and followed Lindsay's gesture towards the other room.

Lindsay grabbed the phone. "Monroe."

"_Lindsay, it's me."_ Sid Hammerback's voice told her. _"I need you in autopsy right now. It's important. Don't let anyone know you're here."_

For a split-second, Lindsay froze. Who had been brought in? But then she realised that Mac would have phoned if it was something like that. "Alright. See you in a few." She hung up and headed into the nursery, stopping in the doorway with a smile.

Aiden had managed to soothe Lucy and was now chatting to her quietly, occasionally making her giggle. "She's beautiful."

Lindsay started, unaware that Aiden had noticed her. "Thank you. Her name's Lucy, by the way. Lucy Aiden Messer."

Aiden looked up sharply. "Really?"

"Would I joke?" Lindsay asked in response. "Danny named her. I wanted Lydia, but there you go."

"Lydia…?" Aiden prompted.

"Aiden." Lindsay smiled. "There was never any doubt about her middle name." She sighed wearily. "That was Sid, says he needs me in autopsy. Normally, I take Lucy in with me, but something tells me this needs to be kept quiet, or he'd have called someone on duty. I don't suppose you'd mind watching her for an hour or so until I get back?"

Aiden looked down at the baby. "Well, I've never been much of a baby person, but I think we can work something out, right, Lucy?"

"She hardly ever cries unless she's scared." Lindsay told her, grabbing her coat, badge and gun out of habit. "There are bottles of milk in the fridge if she needs them – just test it before you give it to her – and the diapers are under the sink. But I changed her before I put her down, so they shouldn't be necessary." She kissed Lucy's forehead. "Be good for Auntie Aiden, sweetheart."

Aiden smiled as the door closed; Lindsay really did remind her of herself. "Well, then Lucy. It's just you and me for a while." _Auntie Aiden. I like the sound of that._

* * *

Getting into the crime lab without anyone noticing was no easy task, but finally, by taking the goods elevator and taking the longer route, she made it to the autopsy lab without anyone seeing her. "Alright, I'm here." Lindsay announced, closing the door firmly behind her. "What's going on and why did I need to sneak in?"

"Over here." Sid beckoned her over and she joined him next to one of the drawers. Her heart dropped when she saw the name on the card.

_Det. Jessica Angell._

"Sid, I can't do this." Lindsay stated shakily, taking a step backwards.

"Just a second, Mrs. Messer." Sid requested. "I promise I didn't ask you to come and watch the autopsy."

"Why did her father request an autopsy anyway?" Lindsay asked.

Sid sighed. "I think he just wanted to be reassured that nothing could have been done to save her. But that's not why I wanted you here." He opened the drawer and pulled it out, revealing Jessica lying under a sheet, looking as peaceful as though she were asleep.

Lindsay couldn't help reaching out and brushing her dark hair away from her eyes, but this caused her to frown out of confusion rather than sadness. "Something's not right."

"Precisely my thoughts." Sid agreed. "These drawers are kept cool and ventilated to prevent decomposition, but there's not even a hint on her. And I've been putting this off for a month."

Trying to forget the fact that it was one of her best friends lying in front of her, Lindsay lifted her hand. "She's too warm. And the freezer should have kept her in rigor." Without thinking, she shifted her grip to Jess's wrist; her eyes closed in pain and she moved to release her when something happened beneath her fingers.

"Sid…" Lindsay whispered. "Have you checked her pulse?"

"Well, no, but I'd have thought that was…"

"Check it." Lindsay insisted. "Tell me I'm not imagining things."

With a sigh, Sid felt Jessica's other wrist and then the side of her neck. He looked up at Lindsay. "I felt it."

Lindsay lifted a hand to stifle her sob, but it still echoed around the empty morgue. Somehow, Jessica Angell was alive.

**

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**

AN: Yes, I brought them both back; I can't help but notice that Stella and Lindsay are getting outnumbered by the boys. Plus I love Aiden and Jess and I hate what happened to them. Review please!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: New York. Nor do I own any of the characters/locations mentioned in this fic that you may recognise.**

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Chapter Two

After a few minutes, Lindsay and Sid were still staring at Jess in silence.

"How is this even possible?" Lindsay whispered. "Shouldn't she have … suffocated … or something? And how … how is she …?"

"Well, the only conclusion I can reach is that her heart restarted after they turned the monitor off." Sid answered. "In a comatose state, the body requires less oxygen, which is why she's still with us. The question is, Lindsay, what do we do now?"

_What do we do now? You're absolutely right; that is the question._

Then the door opening cut through her thoughts and she looked up sharply to see Adam Ross standing in the doorway and an idea flashed into her head.

"Adam, shut the door and get over here."

Recognising the determined flicker in her voice, Adam did as he was told, faltering slightly as he caught sight of what they were standing next to. "What's up? Where's Lucy?"

"She's with someone; don't worry." Lindsay put a hand on his shoulder. "Jess is alive; we need to do something."

"A hospital?" Adam suggested blankly.

"Will that do anything for her?" Lindsay asked quietly.

"No." Sid sighed. "She's survived a month in this drawer without any form of support. Why do you ask?"

Lindsay frowned. "I don't want Flack to find out she's alive and then lose her again; I don't think he'd be able to carry on. Plus, she hates hospitals."

"That bad?" Adam questioned.

Lindsay nodded. "If I had a dollar for every time he's turned up at our place in a state of … I don't even know how to describe it. So here's my idea. We carry her out the back entrance and take her back to my apartment. She can stay in our spare room until she wakes up."

"And when she does?" Sid prompted.

"We pretend you've put the autopsy off for that long." Lindsay finished.

"What about her family?" Adam asked. "They deserve to know."

"Well, we'll explain to them." Lindsay agreed. "And to Mac. But Don … I'm worried about him. I've already taken both his guns off him."

"Alright." Sid conceded. "Adam, go and tell the others that you're leaving to pick up lunch and meet us at Lindsay's apartment. We'll tell Mac when we return. Lindsay, give me a hand with Jessica."

Carefully, they sat her up and Lindsay tied the back of the sheet so that her dignity was kept somewhat in tact. "Good job it's raining." She commented. "No one goes out in weather like this."

"Alright." Sid lifted the detective into his arms. "I need you to open doors; my keys are on the desk."

"Right." Lindsay grabbed them and led the way through the maze of corridors, poking her head into the underground lot first, before making her way over to Sid's car. She climbed into the back seat and helped him get Jess in so her head was resting in her lap. "Okay, let's go."

As soon as they were in sunlight again, Lindsay pulled out her cell-phone and dialled her home number, suddenly realising that there could be a flaw in her plan.

"_Messer residence."_

"Aiden, it's Lindsay. I'm on my way back. Has Flack been by at all?"

"_Don Flack?" _Aiden asked, sounding puzzled. _"No, why?"_

"I'll tell you later." Lindsay promised. "But if he does come by, I need you to get him out of there. It's absolutely vital that he's not there when we are. Use Lucy against him if you have to."

"_Okay, I'll do my best. See you in a minute."_

"Aiden?" Sid asked.

"Yeah, she called by this morning wanting to see Danny." Lindsay put her phone away. "Pull around the back and we'll take the service elevator."

Sid parked where Lindsay indicated and she helped him lift Jess out of the car, before getting out herself. Within a few minutes, Adam pulled in next to them and jumped out. "Now what? Danny asked me to check in on you and Lucy while I was out, so…"

"I'll make everyone sandwiches." Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Two birds, one stone. Adam, I need you to go around the front and make sure Flack hasn't turned up, alright?"

"Right." Adam nodded, jogging in the direction she'd indicated.

* * *

Lucy had woken up again, this time without crying, just looking up at her babysitter with wide, curious eyes.

"Well, hello, Miss Lucy." Aiden lifted her into her arms. "Had a nice nap?" She hadn't wanted to leave the baby's side while she slept, unused to dealing with children, but now she allowed herself to wander round the living room, gazing at the photographs.

The most prominent, she noticed, was a family portrait above the mantle, obviously professionally taken. Lindsay was seated with Lucy on her lap and Danny was standing behind them, his eyes firmly on his wife and daughter, the love he had for them obvious in his gaze.

Aiden smiled fondly. Danny really was her brother in all but blood and it had always pained her to see him bounce from girl to girl so easily. It was good to see him finally with someone.

The knock at the door was unexpected. _Surely Lindsay has a key to her own front door. Uh oh, is that Flack?_

Bracing herself, Aiden opened the door, but it wasn't Detective Flack who stood in front of her; this guy seemed about a year younger than her and was about her height, whereas Flack, assuming neither had grown, was a good head above her. "Hi."

"Hi. Flack here?" He asked breathlessly.

Aiden shook her head. "No."

"Good. Hey, Lucy-Lu!" He took the child from her as she reached out in recognition. "I'm Adam Ross, by the way."

"Aiden Burn." Aiden shook his hand and watched his eyes light up in recognition.

"I thought I'd seen you somewhere. I work with Linds and Danny at the lab." He explained. "I'm the CSI without the badge."

Aiden laughed. "I see. What's going on?"

"Did you ever meet Detective Angell?" Adam asked, glancing down the hall before leaning against the door-frame.

"Er … no." Aiden frowned. "At least I don't think so."

"She was Flack's partner." Adam leaned in slightly. "In more ways than one, if you get my meaning."

"Ah." Aiden nodded. "What happened?"

"We thought she was killed a month ago." Adam explained. "There was a shoot-out and she lost too much blood; we were outside the room when she flat-lined. They repaired the damage, but it just wasn't enough."

"I'm sensing a 'but' here." Aiden prompted.

"Yeah." Adam took another careful look down the hall. "Sid finally got round to the autopsy today and she's alive. Thing is, Linds doesn't want us to tell Flack until we're sure she's not going to leave us again."

"Wow." Aiden shook her head. "How much have I missed? You coming in?"

"Yeah, when they get here." Adam visibly relaxed. "There you are."

Aiden stepped back to let Adam move past her and he was quickly followed by Lindsay and Sid, who was carrying a woman her age with dark hair.

"Miss Burn, I was wondering when you'd grace us with your presence once again."

Aiden smiled at him. "I'll take that as 'welcome home'."

"I would." Lindsay opened the door to the spare room and they let Jessica down on the bed, allowing Sid to embrace Aiden in welcome.

"We'll get her into something more appropriate later." Lindsay told Aiden, closing the door with a relieved sigh. "Right, sandwiches."

"Oh, Danny also asked me to tell you that the case is going badly and he doesn't want to leave until it's sorted." Adam told her. "So he'll be home later than he thought."

"Just tell him not to overdo it." Lindsay responded, pulling a box out of the fridge. "Here. There should be enough in here for everyone."

"You're an angel, Lindsay." Adam told her sincerely, handing Lucy to Sid. "How'd you know someone'd come for lunch?"

"Because Danny told me about the case when he last phoned and I knew it'd be a long one and that he wouldn't leave until he solved it." Lindsay answered. "I also knew that he'd send someone here to check on us."

Aiden chuckled. "Sounds like Danny."

"Alright." Lindsay handed the box to Adam. "You two get back to work; not a word about this to anyone just yet, but you'll want to inform her parents."

"Will do." Sid assured her, returning her daughter. "Come on, young man; back to the lab."

"It was nice meeting you. See you, Linds!"

"Same here."

"Bye."

The door closed behind the two men and Lindsay deposited Lucy in her playpen. "Now where was I?"

"Danny gave you space." Aiden reminded her, making a fresh pot of coffee. "Then you got a phone call and now there's a woman in a coma in your spare room. Are you sure not telling anyone is a good idea?"

"For now." Lindsay sighed. "I just … I'm worried about him. Knowing the way NYPD works, especially people higher up, the second people know, it'll be all over the news and if we lose her again…" She shook her head. "That reminds me; you have somewhere to stay, right? I mean, I was going to offer you our spare room, but…"

Aiden laughed. "I've still got my apartment, don't worry. I bought it, not rented it."

"Oh good." Lindsay sighed in relief. "Our couch isn't very comfortable."

"How else would you keep Danny in line?" Aiden asked, straight-faced.

Lindsay laughed. "True. Very true."

"Anyway, so you were saying …" Aiden prompted.

"Yeah." Lindsay cleared her throat. "It got to the point where every shotgun victim, every young girl … they all took me back to Bozeman."

"Did you tell anyone?" Aiden asked curiously, handing her the mug.

"Thanks." Lindsay took a sip. "No. Well, I had to explain a little bit to Stella, because I just freaked out one day. I didn't want to be treated differently. They did that back home; every case that came in, I could see them looking at me, trying to figure out if I could handle it or not."

"I can understand that." Aiden told her softly.

Lindsay shrugged. "Sooner or later, the time came. They wanted me back for the whole trial, not just my testimony. We had to adjourn court half way through; I just couldn't do it. It was like being there all over again. I could see their parents…" She broke off, trying to stop the tears from falling again. "On the second day…"

"_I remember being scared that whoever was out there would hear it." Lindsay's voice faltered once more and, out of the corner of her eye, she saw Daniel Cadens smirk at her._

_Her mouth dried in fear. What if he didn't get convicted? What if he came after her? What if he found her? What then?_

_Her thoughts were interrupted by the courtroom door opening quietly. Automatically, she glanced over and her heart jumped a little._

_Detective Danny Messer was standing in front of the newly-closed door, gazing at her with a mixture of pride and adoration._

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "You're kidding."

"Yeah, apparently, Mac saying "Go home and get some sleep" translates into "Go home and catch a flight to Montana."" Lindsay laughed.

Aiden laughed as well, the last of the haunted expression that had overtaken her at the news about Pratt vanishing in a second. "That's my boy! Did he help?"

"More than he should have." Lindsay admitted. "For the first time, I looked that … that … monster in the eye and carried on speaking. Told him I knew it was him."

"Atta girl." Aiden grinned. "Did they…?"

"Life." Lindsay confirmed. "And afterwards, I had to deal with Danny when he hadn't slept for a week."

"Never an easy thing." Aiden sympathised. "He pulled a couple of shifts like that when I was working there. I had to carry him home."

"Well, I got the cabbie to give me a hand." Lindsay shrugged. "We got back to New York, carried on as we'd always done, then he invited me round for dinner. We had a few drinks, played some pool and…"

"_There's no way you're gonna get this shot too, Montana." Danny stated as she lined up for it._

_Lindsay smirked. "A Benjamin says I do."_

_Danny laughed. "You're on!"_

_Seconds later, Lindsay straightened up, the ball falling into the hole with a soft thud. "You owe me $100."_

"_Er … you know what?" Danny coughed. "You're … you're gonna have to wait till payday."_

"_No." Lindsay shook her head. "You either pay me now … or you come up with something better."_

_Belatedly, she realised that the distance between them had closed considerably and Danny didn't hesitate to close the gap between them. A cloud of bliss enveloped her mind as she tugged his shirt over his head, leaving behind only the question as to why this hadn't happened earlier…_

_Lindsay awoke the next morning, his arm still firmly around her waist, as if reluctant to release her. She moved her head slightly so it was resting on his chest instead of his shoulder and let herself drift off to sleep again. After what felt like only a few seconds, she felt him poke her nose softly, causing her eyes to flutter open and a smile to creep across her face. "Hey. What time is it?"_

"_Early." He murmured._

"_Mmm." Lindsay stretched sleepily and snuggled closer to him. "I have to be at work at nine. You're lucky; you got a later shift."_

"_Well, go back to sleep." Danny told her. "I'll wake you up."_

_Lindsay hesitated for a second, then decided to feel out what exactly happened last night. "I dreamt that … I woke up and you were gone … you left a note."_

"_Where would I go?" Danny responded. "This is my place."_

_For a second, her heart constricted, but then she heard the underlying humour in his voice and tilted her head back to meet his eyes. "I was hoping for a better answer."_

_The grin on his face softened. "I'm just kidding. I'm glad this happened." He pressed a kiss to her forehead in a tender gesture that surprised her, even after last night._

_She smiled and kissed his chest, the closest part of him that she could reach without lifting her head. "Me too." Then she drifted back into a blissful sleep, lulled by his fingers rhythmically running through her hair._

"When I woke up, he'd taken my shift." Lindsay shook her head, a frown appearing on her face.

"That was uncharacteristically sweet of him." Aiden stated bluntly. "He hates missing lie-ins."

"Well, I wish he hadn't." Lindsay sighed. "That morning, NYPD seized 900 kg of coke from an Irish gang; when Danny reached the scene to help Adam process, he ended up in a hostage situation."

"Was he okay?" Aiden asked quietly.

"Couple of broken fingers, cracked rib, and a lot of bruising." Lindsay frowned. "I just wish he hadn't taken my shift."

Aiden smiled knowingly. "Did you tell him that?"

Lindsay nodded, her own smile appearing. "He told me that he'd go through it a hundred times more if it meant that I was safe."

"And you started dating." Aiden concluded with a smirk. "So how did he propose?"

Lindsay's smile slipped slightly. "Well, it's not quite as simple as that. We'd been together about five months, when … Ruben Sandoval was killed by a stray bullet."

Aiden frowned. "I know that name." Her eyes widened. "Wait a minute; not that little boy who lived down the hall from Danny? That must have…"

"It did." Lindsay sighed heavily. "Danny had taken him to get his bike blessed that morning; Ruben rode ahead, there was a gunshot, neither of them realised he'd been hurt and Danny told him to go straight home, because the woman from the bodega that had been robbed was hysterical. Ruben got round the corner and … Danny blamed himself."

"When is he going to learn?!" Aiden groaned. "He pushed you away, didn't he?"

"Worse than that." Lindsay stood up. "We should get Jess into something more than a sheet."

Aiden followed her into the spare room, not pushing her to explain.

Lindsay rooted in the drawers, pulling out some underwear, tracksuit pants and a shirt. "I knew something was wrong when he forgot my birthday."

"I wouldn't take that personally." Aiden told her. "He's terrible with dates; always had been. One year, he forgot his _own_ birthday."

Lindsay smiled weakly. "I know he was dealing with a lot, but I was mad at him … after a week or so, I decided that I was being ridiculous. So I went over, early, before my shift to apologise for making such a big deal about it. Before I could knock on the door … the walls are pretty thin … I could hear him … with another woman."

Aiden sucked in her breath. "You want me to kill him for you?"

"No." Lindsay sighed. "I knew why … back in Montana, after it happened … I was the 'Girl-Who-Survived'. There's always one girl in every class that the boys are making bets over – who'll get her into bed first, who'll get her into bed quickest … you know what I mean. I never stopped them; I didn't feel anything. He was the first time I did."

Aiden shook her head. "Tell me he told you."

"No. He just kept pushing me away." Lindsay brushed a strand of hair from her face. "After that, I just … I stopped trying. Then one evening, I went for a rain-walk and my phone rang … he asked me to come over … I told him I had to go, but…"

_People rushing past her were staring at her; she must have looked ridiculous, walking in the pouring rain with nothing more than a thin hoody and no umbrella, but the subway was closed and she wasn't stupid enough to get a taxi after everything that had happened._

_Somehow she found herself standing outside Danny's apartment building and made a split-second decision. Before she had a chance to buzz him, one of his neighbours came out and held the door for her with a smile. She thanked him and made her way up the stairs to Danny's apartment, knocking on the door before she had time to talk herself out of it._

_The door opened, she met his eyes, seeing the evident surprise, and hurt shot through her. Of course his invitation had been empty. She mumbled an apology and turned to leave, but he caught her arm._

"_No! Lindsay, we need to talk."_

_She flinched at the use of her real name, but followed him inside and joined him on the couch._

"_Lindsay…"_

"_Montana." Lindsay corrected. "You've always called me that, Danny; it doesn't feel right when you don't."_

_The smile he gave her could have melted a heart of ice. "Montana, I'm sorry. For everything. But before I apologise for everything you know about, I gotta tell you…"_

"_I know." Lindsay interrupted. "About you and Rikki. I know."_

_Danny gaped at her for a few seconds. "Montana … I never meant to hurt you…"_

"_I know." Lindsay repeated. "Believe me, Danny, I know. I did the same thing back in Montana after … they died. I just wish you could have come to me. I would've understood."_

_Danny sighed. "Believe me, Montana, if I could turn back time, I would. But I meant what I said. I miss you. And … I didn't forget your birthday. I mean, I did, but only on that day. Wait there."_

_Lindsay closed her mouth, biting back the argument that he had forgotten, and he disappeared into his bedroom, reappearing with a small box. "Happy Birthday."_

_Lindsay rolled her eyes, deciding not to mention that he was a good few months overdue, because she knew he knew already. Opening the box, she glanced up at him, puzzled, at the sight of a note._

"_Go on." Danny prompted._

_Lindsay pulled the note out and read it aloud. "Montana, I was going to get you one of those stereotypical birthday gifts, but I remember you telling me that you always found those predictable and meaningless. So I decided to do this instead. Knowing me, I'll have forgotten this on your birthday, but it'll wind up on your desk at some point; better late than never, right? Just ask to see my right arm next time you see me. Happy Birthday. Danny." She looked up again. "Right arm?"_

"_Lindsay, how many tattoos do I have?" Danny asked in response._

"_Two." Lindsay answered without hesitation. "One on your chest; one on your arm. Your left arm." She remembered the first time she'd noticed them._

_On his chest, an angel inscribed with two dates and, as they lay in bed together, she had asked about it; he had told her it was his maternal grandmother and her dates of birth and death._

_On his arm, there was a circlet of thorns. She had traced a circle round it with her finger and asked about it; he had stiffened and told her it was a story for another time._

_As if reading her mind, Danny rolled up his left sleeve, revealing it. "It was the Tanglewood symbol but without the name. I got it when I was a kid, when I wanted to be just like Louie; couldn't wait to get the real one. I never got it removed, because it reminds me of the mistake I nearly made. My past will always be a part of me, Montana, and that reminds me of that. But my future is more important. And you know I'm right handed." He switched to his other arm, rolling the sleeve up to reveal the inked words: My Montana._

_Lindsay stared at it for a few seconds. "That may be the most amazing thing any guy has ever done for me."_

"_I've been a prick." Danny stated firmly. "I know I have. I've never been able to deal with commitment and … I couldn't deal with both things at the same time. But the guy who did this made a pretty astute observation."_

"_Astute?" Lindsay repeated. "Alright. And what was that?"_

"_That I must really care about you." Danny told her. "And I told him that I did; that you're the most important person in my life. And I realised something. I realised … I love you. I love you so damn much, Lindsay, and yes I'm using your real name for this. I completely understand if you never want to see me again … although we work together so that'll be difficult … I've done nothing but hurt you and I'm sorry; it was the last thing I wanted to do…"_

"_Danny." Lindsay sighed, cupping his face. "Shut up. I told you that I've fallen in love with you and I meant that. But I also told you that I wanted to let that go. I never want that. So if this is going to happen, I need to know. Is this it?"_

_Danny pressed a kiss to her lips. "This is it, Montana. I promise."_

"And then he proposed?" Aiden guessed.

Lindsay laughed. "No. No, but we … we worked things out."

Aiden smiled, helping her sit Jess up so they could slip the shirt onto her, and something suddenly occurred to her. "Speaking of working things out, how did you realise the body in the car wasn't me?"

"Well, it was really because I didn't go with the others to their 'farewell gathering." Lindsay replied. "They all went out for drinks, talk about how much they'd miss you and so on. I felt it would be a bit weird if I went; we'd never met. So I told them I'd catch up with them later and headed down to autopsy to help Sid finish up a few things. We were chatting and then he asked me…"

"_So what made you become a CSI in the first place?"_

_Lindsay froze. She hadn't told anyone in New York about her past and she wasn't sure she could start now._

_Sid must have seen the turmoil on her face. "I was always rather captivated by the way the human body worked myself. If it's a personal reason, Lindsay, I won't be offended if you don't tell me."_

"_I survived a crime." Lindsay told him quietly. "I don't really like talking about it. So far, no one has been convicted of it and I swore I wouldn't let that happen again. So I started looking into ways I could help. CSI seemed … interesting. Oddly enough, until that day, I had a crippling fear of blood."_

_She laughed, but she was the only one; Sid was staring at the morgue drawer where Aiden's body was being kept._

"_You know," he said slowly, "Danny is scared of dentists."_

"_Oh?" Lindsay asked._

"_I remember one day, he hid in autopsy for three hours, because Aiden had an appointment."_

"_Why would Aiden having an appointment cause him to hide?" Lindsay frowned._

_Sid replaced his glasses and pulled out Aiden's file. "Because she was also not too keen on dentists; she wasn't as bad, but she didn't like it all the same. On this particular day, she was having her wisdom teeth removed and had decided that Danny was going to accompany her … to 'hold her hand' so to speak."_

"_I see…" Lindsay thought for a second. "No offence, but what does this have to do with anything?"_

_Sid pulled out an x-ray and held it up. "Our vic from the car has all four wisdom teeth."_

_Lindsay's eyes widened. "She's not Aiden."_

"Danny was so relieved when we told him." Lindsay finished. "I … I gotta ask – I don't expect Danny to come clean completely – did you two ever…?"

Aiden laughed. "God, no! We tried it. Once. We'd have been crazy not to. We both had similar backgrounds, we knew all the slang, we could finish each other's thoughts and sentences. And I knew I loved him; on paper, we were the perfect couple. We went out for dinner, he paid, walked me home, kissed me goodnight … and then we both collapsed in hysterical laughter. I realised that I loved him; I just wasn't _in love_ with him. We spent the rest of the night talking it out; it was the most embarrassing date I've ever been on. But I think if we hadn't tried it, we'd have always been stuck in that horrible 'tension place'."

"He loves you." Lindsay told her, her eyes fixed on Jess's face. "I always knew that. And then when we had Lucy, he told me that he wished his sister was here as well. I was a little confused; I was under the impression that he only had a brother. Then he told me that you were his sister, blood or no blood."

Aiden straightened the cover on the bed, wiping away a stray tear that escaped her. "God, look at the two of us. We're acting like two emotional teenagers."

The sombre mood broken, Lindsay giggled and gestured to the living room. "Come on. We'll leave her in peace. Hopefully it won't be long until she wakes up."

* * *

AN: I realise that their plan on how to deal with Jess is unrealistic, but hey it's fanfiction. Technically, her being alive is unrealistic (why, why would they do that to us?) Review please!


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI: New York.**

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Chapter Three

When her mother's face reappeared over her, Lucy smiled and giggled, drawing smiles from the two women as well.

Lindsay lifted her daughter out of the playpen and settled on the couch with her in her lap, grabbing Lucy's favourite toy – a plush rabbit – from the side as she did so.

Aiden sat down as well, glancing back at the spare room. "How long's she been with NYPD?"

"She joined about … three years ago." Lindsay guessed. "Around that time."

"Adam said she was Flack's partner." Aiden prompted.

Lindsay nodded. "They've been partners for about two and a half years, but it was more than a year before they were on the same case together. They just make an amazing team; I wouldn't be surprised if they could read each other's minds, but they were … careful."

"Careful?" Aiden frowned. "Why?"

"He's a first grade homicide detective." Lindsay explained. "She's only a third grade. Even back then, rumours were flying about them; their desks faced each other, they used each other as soundboards when they had a particularly difficult case, if one got coffee, they'd get the other person coffee too … all harmless, if they were both guys, but they weren't. I heard the phrase 'sleeping her way up the ranks' more than once. Nearly punched the people saying it."

"Is she a good detective?" Aiden asked.

"She was one of the best." Lindsay stated. "I guess it was only a matter of time before she and Flack hooked up; it was getting unbearable to be in the same room as both of them."

Aiden nodded. "How long have they been together?"

"I don't know, to tell you the truth." Lindsay picked up the rabbit where Lucy dropped it. "I've known about it for about seven months, but they were too comfortable together for it to have been a new thing. Less than a year, I think." She glanced at the door. "After she flat-lined, the doctors removed the machines and let us in…

_Everyone waited, wanting to let Don go in first, but he didn't let go of Lindsay's hand from where she'd taken his what felt like hours earlier. So she stood with him, leaving Lucy with her father, and they made their way to the hospital room, where Jess lay, pale and unmoving, as beautiful in death as she had been in life._

_At the door, Don released her hand and she stayed where she was, watching him walk slowly towards the hospital bed._

_When he reached her side, he brushed her hair from her eyes and bent to press a kiss against her cold lips. "I love you, Jess."_

_His words echoed through the silent room and Lindsay covered her mouth with her hand to stop her sobs escaping, even as her shoulders begin to shake._

"_I know I never said it." Don continued. "And I should have done. But I do. And I'll never stop. You hear me, Jess? I will never stop loving you."_

_Seeing tears start to fall from his eyes, Lindsay let her own fall and knelt beside him, pulling him into a hug._

"_Why her, Linds?" Don asked quietly. "Why did they have to take her? She wasn't even supposed to be there; she's supposed to be in Jersey with her family. Why?"_

_Lindsay didn't answer, knowing that he wasn't expecting one._

_His eyes never left his girlfriend's face. "I need her. I don't think I can do this without her."_

"_Don." Danny said quietly from the doorway. "We've got a location on the kidnappers."_

_Don's face set. He released Lindsay and kissed Jess's forehead. "I'm going to get the son-of-a-bitch who did this to you, Jess."_

"_Flack!" Lindsay reached out and caught his arm as he stood. "Try not to do anything stupid, alright? She wouldn't want you to."_

"_You'll stay with her, won't you, Lindsay?" Don asked, clearly avoiding the subject. "I don't want her to be alone."_

_Lindsay smiled softly. "I'll stay with her until Sid comes. I promise. Danny, I'll take Lucy." She stood to take the baby, lowering her voice a little. "Keep an eye on him."_

"_You got it, Montana." Danny kissed her forehead and she sat down, Lucy alert on her lap._

_The little girl's eyes lit up and she reached out, one tiny hand seizing Jess's finger._

_Lindsay choked back another flood of tears. "Oh, Lucy … Auntie Jess isn't going to wake up, sweetie."_

_Don followed Danny out of the room, but stopped in the doorway, turning back to gaze at his fallen partner. "Goodbye, Jessica …"_

"All six were killed resisting arrest." Lindsay concluded. "Or, at least, that's the official story. I wouldn't be surprised if Don realised which one shot her and put a bullet through his head on purpose."

"Do you think that was when her heart restarted?" Aiden asked. "I mean, you hear about these 'outer-body experiences' people claim to have. Maybe she heard him and fought to come back."

"Well, it's Christmas in a few weeks." Lindsay glanced out the window. "It could have been a miracle. Who knows? Maybe we'll get snow too."

For a few seconds, the two women sank into quiet reflection, then Lucy, who had clearly realised something was wrong, threw her rabbit on the floor again.

This time, it was Aiden who ducked to pick it up, handing it back to the baby. "So you and Danny…"

Lindsay smiled. "Yeah. We got back together. Couple of months later, I realised that I was pregnant."

"Wow." Aiden murmured. "What did you do?"

"Panicked." Lindsay admitted. "Danny and I were alright, but … we hadn't been the same. I went to an OB and had it confirmed. Of course, Danny realised soon enough that there was something wrong. Apparently, our vic had a doctor's card on her and he and Stel were at the clinic when I went in. He confronted me in the locker room later and I told him."

"What did he say?" Aiden asked.

"'Are you sure?'" Lindsay remembered with a small laugh. "I told him that I wasn't expecting anything from him and dived back into the case before he could argue."

"Jumped before you were pushed." Aiden summarised. "I take it he didn't agree."

Lindsay shook her head, her smile growing. "I got home that evening to find him waiting outside, insisting we needed to talk…"

_Lindsay sighed, not wanting to hear it said out loud. "Fine. Come in." She shut the door quietly behind them and made her way over to the kitchen, pulling out the takeaway menu she kept in the drawer._

"_What are you doing?" Danny asked._

"_Ordering take-out." Lindsay answered bluntly. "What else?"_

"_Not in your condition, you're not." Danny stated, leading her over to the couch. "Do you realise how bad that stuff is for babies? You sit down; I'll make us dinner."_

_Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Danny, I've already told you; I'm not expecting anything…"_

"_Thing is, Montana, you are." Danny disagreed. "You're expecting a baby. My baby. And you're expecting me to walk away from our kid. You know I love you, Lindsay, I tell you daily. Why do you doubt me all of a sudden?"_

"_I don't doubt you love me." Lindsay insisted. "I just … I wasn't planning this, Danny. I wasn't planning on becoming a mother, not now, and I know you weren't planning on becoming a father."_

"_I wasn't planning on becoming a CSI either, Montana." Danny reminded her. "I was planning on playing baseball. I wasn't planning on falling in love. But I did both of those things and they turned out to be the best things I've ever done." He took her hands. "Maybe we weren't planning on having a baby, but we are now. And I'm not gonna lie to you, Montana; I'm scared. But I'm not going anywhere."_

Aiden smiled. "Good. If he'd reacted any other way, I'd have had to hurt him. Now tell me he asked you to marry him, or I might have to anyway."

"He did." Lindsay nodded. "And I said no."

"You…" Aiden raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Lindsay sighed. "Because I wanted him to marry me because he loved me, not because I was pregnant. I'd just rather walk down the aisle than be pushed." She bounced Lucy slightly, causing the child to giggle. "He was amazing though. Talked to my stomach every day, read the baby comics. Although he was convinced we'd have a boy. When I was about seven months along, I decided to visit my parents, so my mom could see me pregnant." She laughed. "I told Danny that if I had a girl, I was really looking forward to that. And he said, "If this is a girl, no guy's getting close enough to her to get her pregnant.""

Aiden laughed. "Good trip?"

"Yeah, it was great." Lindsay smiled. "But, before I left, Danny took me into town, told me we were meeting a couple of friends. We ended up at City Hall, outside the registry office. And he said to me…"

"_I am tired of being afraid, alright? You and me? We make sense, okay? You're everything I've always wanted. I wanna be with you. And I can be the guy that you want me to be. I know I can; I am that guy."_

_Lindsay smiled shakily. "You know you are."_

"_Then let's walk through that door together. Let's do it; let's take that leap."_

"And you did." Aiden concluded with a grin. "Did you have Lucy here or in Montana?"

"Here." Lindsay answered. "I landed in New York, went to the lab and went straight to the hospital. Eight hours of labour, one beautiful girl. Danny dotes on her. Took her to the park every other day."

Her use of the past tense, combined with the wistful tone her voice had taken on, caused Aiden to frown. "Did something happen?"

Lindsay sighed. "It was about a month ago, after the shooting. We thought Jess was dead; we went out to … say goodbye, even if the funeral wouldn't be for a while…"

"_Okay, I'll try not to cause that many tears." Stella stood up. "Would you all raise your glasses? Jessica Angell was one of those rare people who touched each of our lives, who reaffirmed your faith in humanity. She was a great homicide detective and a wonderful friend, always there and willing to do whatever it took to see that justice was served."_

_Lindsay glanced towards Flack, who was avoiding everyone's gaze, and reached over to squeeze his hand. He didn't look at her, but squeezed back in silent thanks._

"_And I know…" Stella's voice choked to a halt and she swallowed hard. "I know that Jess is watching over us and will protect us, just as she always has done."_

_Before anything else could be said, the windows shattered inwards with a round of bullets and screams erupted around them._

_Danny seized her and forced her to the floor, landing heavily on top of her. Lindsay closed her eyes tightly and focused on thinking about her daughter in an attempt to stay calm_

_Finally, the bullets stopped and silence fell upon the bar as reality sank in. Then the cries started; people calling for friends and family, casualties calling for help._

_Danny rolled to the side, allowing Lindsay to sit up; she flinched as small shards of glass cut into her hands._

"_I can't feel my legs." Danny murmured._

_Lindsay focused on her husband. "Danny?"_

"_Lindsay, I can't move." Danny lifted his hand and they both saw that it was drenched in his blood. "I can't feel my legs."_

"_No…" Lindsay caught his hand and cupped his face. "Baby, you're okay. You're gonna be fine."_

_Danny met her eyes and she could see the barely veiled fear in them. "Linds, I can't feel my legs."_

"_Mac!" Lindsay called over her shoulder. "You're alright, Danny; just think about Lucy. Just keep focusing on Lucy. Mac!"_

"He's been in a wheelchair ever since." Lindsay concluded shakily. "In fact, he's only just regained feeling in his legs and it happened a month ago. Doctors told him that there's a ten percent chance of recovery. He told me it was sixty."

"He just didn't want to scare you." Aiden guessed, moving so she could wrap an arm around Lindsay's shoulders. "He's like that."

"I've told him he's got to be more optimistic." Lindsay leaned into her embrace, tightening her hold on Lucy as she did. "Or I'll kick his butt."

"I'll help you." Aiden promised. "He'll pull through. I mean, it's Danny."

"I know, right?" Lindsay agreed. "He's too stubborn to do anything else." She reached out with her spare arm and grabbed the phone as it started to ring. "Messer residence."

"_Lindsay, it's Mac. Adam said he ran into Aiden there; is she still with you?"_

"Er, yeah, she is." Lindsay answered, glancing at her. "Do you wanna talk to her?"

"_Please."_

"It's Mac." Lindsay handed her the phone as Lucy began fussing. "And this little one needs changing; excuse me." She stood up, taking her daughter into the nursery.

Although she chatted to Lucy as she always did while changing her, Lindsay's mind was in the living room. What did Mac want to talk to Aiden about?

"Guess what?" Aiden announced from the doorway.

Lindsay pulled Lucy's dress down and picked her up. "Pass."

"Mac just offered me a job!" Aiden told her.

"Wow. Congratulations." Lindsay pushed the changing table away. "I wonder how he pulled that. At the beginning of the year, we had to fight to save Adam's job because of budget cuts."

"Apparently, NYPD just got a boatload of extra funding." Aiden shrugged. "He wants me to come in, so he can tell the rest of the team. I guess he doesn't know about Angell yet."

Lindsay nodded absently. "I guess not. Alright, well, you head in; I'm gonna contact Jess's family and let them know."

* * *

"Danny?" Stella stuck her head through the door of his office. "What are you doing here? Mac paged everyone to his office."

"Yeah, so we can meet the new girl." Danny rolled his eyes. "No thanks."

Stella sighed. "Come on, Danny! You weren't this obstinate when Lindsay joined."

"That's because Lindsay was only taking my best friend's job." Danny reminded her. "I refuse to stand there and meet the woman who's taking my wife's job."

"She's not taking Lindsay's job." Stella sighed. "She's just a new CSI."

"Besides, even if I was, it would only be fair." A familiar voice pointed out. "She did take mine."

Stella spun on her heel to see Aiden grinning at her. "Aiden!"

Aiden accepted her hug. "I know Mac wants me in his office, but I know Messer too well." She glanced over at Danny, who was still staring at her in shock. "Don't get up."

"Oh, very funny, Burn." Danny carefully manoeuvred his chair out from under his desk and over to her. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Chasing shadows." Aiden leant down to give him a hug. "Apparently, DJ Pratt's in jail."

"Yeah, we thought…" Danny began.

"I know what you thought." Aiden cut him off. "I just spent the morning with your wife. Lucy, by the way, is the most adorable baby I've ever encountered."

"I thought you weren't a baby person." Stella commented, as the three made their way to Mac's office.

"Well, I'm not really." Aiden admitted. "But Lucy may have converted me. I gotta bone to pick with you later, Messer."

"I thought you might." Danny groaned. "Can't you at least wait until I'm outta this chair?"

"We'd be here forever." Aiden grinned, pushing open the door to Mac's office.

"Look, I know you're not happy, but Sinclair insists we hire another CSI!" Mac was saying. "I promise you that I've done everything to make this transition as smooth as possible."

"We've always run on this team." Hawkes reminded him. "Even when Aiden left we kept the balance."

"It's rude to talk about people behind their backs." Aiden stated.

Hawkes gaped at her for a second, before embracing her tightly. "Aiden!" He turned to Mac accusingly. "This is the new CSI?"

"No one said anything about a new CSI." Mac told him. "Just another one. It's good to have you back, Aiden."

"Thanks, Mac." Aiden finally allowed herself a genuine smile as she glanced around the familiar office. "It's good to be back."

**

* * *

**

AN: Review please!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: New York. If I did, Aiden and Jess would still be alive. Note: I am aware that it probably takes longer than an hour for someone to drive from Jersey to New York, but I don't know, so for the sake of argument, Jess's parents are staying in the city at the moment, kay?**

* * *

Chapter Four

It took less than an hour after her phone call for the knocking to start at the door; Lindsay shifted Lucy on to her hip and answered, this time knowing who it was. "Mr. and Mrs. Angell, thank you for coming. Please come in."

The month before, at the hospital, Jess's father had told them all to call him Cliff, or Mr. Angell, if that felt too awkward, citing that 'Detective Sergeant Angell' was too much of a mouthful to be used regularly, especially since he was now retired.

"Well, when you told us it was about Jessica, we couldn't wait." Marie Angell told her quietly, her eyes lingering on Lucy. "You didn't mention you had a child, Detective Monroe."

"Lindsay." She corrected, closing the door behind them. "This is Lucy; she's three months old. Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?"

"No, thank you." Cliff declined politely. "So what's this about, Detective? Is this about the autopsy? Why didn't the ME call us in to the crime lab?"

Lindsay sighed. "It's a little more complicated than that, sir. When Dr. Hammerback went to begin, he made several preliminary observations that negated any need for an autopsy." She took a deep breath. "Jessica's still alive. She's in the spare room at the moment. I thought about taking her to a hospital, but she survived a month in an autopsy drawer with no trouble and they always treat coma patients like part of the furniture…"

"Lindsay." Marie interrupted shakily. "I agree with you. Can we see her?"

"Yes, of course." Lindsay opened the door to the spare room and stood back to let them in. Cliff stayed rooted to the spot, but his wife slipped past her and hurried to Jess's side.

"You dressed her." Marie observed, stroking her daughter's hair.

"I always found hospital gowns a little undignified." Lindsay shrugged. "And I know Jess hates them."

"Cliff…" Marie pressed her fingers against Jess's wrist. "She's right. Jessie's alive."

Now Jess's father moved, feeling her pulse for himself, before kissing her forehead. Lindsay took Lucy into the kitchen, giving the couple their privacy.

* * *

"Alive?" Mac repeated.

Sid nodded. "That's right."

Mac looked at Aiden. "Lindsay tell you?"

"I looked after Lucy while she came in." Aiden answered. "She should be telling Detective Angell's parents right around now."

Danny shook his head. "And she's in our spare room?"

Aiden sighed. "Yes, Danny, she's in your spare room. You can keep asking; the answer's not gonna change."

The silence that followed was broken only by Mac's ring-tone. "Taylor. Right." He hung up and opened a drawer, pulling out a badge and gun. "Sorry to throw you in the deep end, Aiden, but there's a DOA in Time Square. Adam's going with you."

"Mac…" Danny began.

"No, Danny." Mac cut him off. "With the snow scheduled, we need to process as quickly as possible. I'm sorry."

Aiden patted his shoulder as she left, fastening her new badge onto her belt and slipping the gun into her holster. "Sorry, Messer." She made her way down to Trace, the familiar route popping into her head as she walked. As she entered, almost every head turned to look at her, some unfamiliar and curious, others smiling in welcome. "Hey, Adam!"

"Yeah!" The man in question appeared above a line of computers.

"Grab your kit." Aiden called. "We got a DOA."

* * *

"Anything I need to know before we get there?"

Aiden glanced at her companion. "Like what?"

Adam shrugged. "Well, Lindsay prefers me to stay quiet while she's trying to figure something out. Danny would rather use me as a sound-board. Mac doesn't like me disagreeing with him, but Stella likes the challenge. I'm just here to process."

Aiden smiled at him, recognise the shy stutter in his voice from her very first case. Of course, she'd had Danny busting her balls on top of the nerves. "You're here as a CSI, Adam. No badge doesn't change that. If you have a theory, tell me, whatever I might have said. Oh, and don't stare at my ass while I'm processing. That happens way too often and it's disrespectful."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Aiden." She corrected. "Mac doesn't like sir; I don't like ma'am, got it?"

Adam nodded. "Got it."

"So how long have you been at the crime lab?" Aiden asked curiously, pulling up at the scene.

"I joined about the same time as Lindsay." Adam answered, grabbing the kit from the back of the car. "So I've been … Flack?"

"Excuse me?" Aiden followed his gaze and recognised the dark hair and build of the detective talking to witnesses. "Lindsay said he was on compassionate leave."

"He was." Adam shrugged. "Guess he's pulled himself back."

"That's the Flack I know." Aiden ducked under the crime scene tape, thanking the uniformed officer who lifted it for them, someone she didn't recognise, but, then again, she'd never really talked to the uniforms.

"Hey, Flack!" Adam called. "Look who's back!"

Don looked up and his face broke into a smile. "Aiden Burn! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?"

Aiden set her kit down and hugged him. "Yeah, well, I was getting bored without you lot."

"Flack, this is a crime scene!" Another voice barked. "You can't just let civilians in, whether you know them or not!"

Don rolled his eyes. "This is Detective Johnson, just transferred over from Jersey PD. Johnson, this is Detective Aiden Burn and Adam Ross; they're here to process the scene. They look like tourists to you?"

Johnson turned out to a man about ten years older than them, who ran a critical eye over the two, lingering on Aiden slightly longer than she was comfortable with. "Alright, but make it quick."

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "How long have you worked in homicide, Detective?"

"Just moved over." Johnson answered stiffly. "Why?"

"I thought so." Aiden pulled on her gloves. "Otherwise you'd know that it is our observations that will nail the guy that did this. We will take as long as we need. You will secure the perimeter and stop looking at me as though I'm a piece of meat. Got it?"

"You heard her, Johnson." Don stated. "And, for the record, I'm still the higher officer here. Let them do their jobs."

"Yes, sir."

"Thanks, Flack." Aiden gestured to the body. "Do we know who this is?"

"So far, he's still a John Doe." Don answered. "Anonymous 911 call, but that don't mean much. A lot of people come to Time Square because they can blend into the crowd. No wallet, no ID."

"Maybe he's one of them." Aiden suggested, taking a picture of the body. "Or it could have been a robbery. Find anything, Adam?"

"Looks like the vic bled out." Adam bagged a swab. "Where'd you get the gun, Flack? I thought Lindsay still had yours."

"She does." Don shrugged. "I have another spare."

"She's gonna kill you." Adam stated matter-of-factly. "The blood's too spread out to be from one wound; I don't think it was a robbery, Aiden."

Aiden knelt beside him and they rolled the victim over. She pulled a face at the multiple wounds in the man's chest. "No, definitely not. This was personal." She glanced up at Flack and groaned at the expression on his face. "You know him. Don't you?"

"I've seen him before." Don answered quietly. "He's a member of a hurling team that plays over in what used to be Montiquan tribal ground."

"Amos Delaware." Adam nodded. "It was a case about six months ago." He explained to Aiden when she gave him a questioning look. "Native American hit by a stray bullet on a speeding train, only for us to find out that he was already dead."

Aiden raised an eyebrow. "LeBron James couldn't make that shot."

Don chuckled weakly. "That's what Danny said. I missed you two doing that."

"What? Reading each other's minds or finishing each other's sentences?" Aiden straightened up. "I kinda missed it too."

* * *

The silver sedan pulled into the parking lot next to the playing field and came to a stop, causing the two teams to stop playing and look over at them.

"You alright, Flack?" Aiden asked quietly.

Don's hands tightened on the steering wheel momentarily, then relaxed. "Yeah. I'm fine. C'mon."

Aiden grabbed the photo and got out of the car, only to come face to face with one of the players. "Yes?"

"You're interruptin' a game." He told her. "Again." He added, glancing at Flack. "New partner, detective?"

All at once, Aiden realised what was bothering Flack; the last time he had been here, it had been Jessica Angell in the passenger seat.

"This is Detective Burn, with Crime Scene." Don waved to her, ignoring the question. "We just need to talk to you."

Aiden held up a photo of the vic. "You know this guy?"

Wexford paled. "Yeah, that's Kevin. My brother. What happened to him?"

Aiden sighed; she hated this part. "I'm afraid your brother was found murdered this morning, Mr. Wexford."

"Game's over, lads." Wexford stated, not taking his eyes off her face.

Aiden waited for the teams to disperse, several members clapping him on the back as they passed. "Was your brother a member of the team?"

"Yeah, he was late this morning so we started without him." Wexford answered.

Anyone else might have thought he seemed very calm about his brother's death, but both detectives could hear the tell-tale waver in his voice.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Don asked.

"Last night … around ten. I turned in early because of practice this morning … he said he'd stay up."

"You live together?" Aiden guessed. "Did he say he was going out at all?"

"Yeah, he said he was meeting someone." Wexford shrugged. "Didn't say who."

"Do you know if he had a girlfriend?" Aiden pressed.

"Yeah. Mandy something; I don't know her last name." Wexford frowned. "Blonde hair, nice legs. She gave him a lift to practice once."

"Did you see the car?" Don asked immediately.

"Red. Merc, I think."

"License number?" Aiden prompted.

"I think there was a 7. I dunno; I don't tend to check license numbers. Who does?" Wexford responded shortly.

Aiden didn't call him on his attitude. "Do you remember anything else about her?"

"No. Sorry." Wexford looked from one to the other. "You think she's involved?"

"At this stage, I can't tell." Aiden answered carefully. "But finding out who your brother was with before his death will help us work out what happened to him. Did your brother visit Time Square often?"

"No." Wexford shook his head. "He hated it there; too many crowds. Why?"

"That's where he was found." Don explained. "Could he have been meeting someone?"

"I don't know. Listen, I have to get hold of my folks. Tell them what happened. Can I go?"

"Sure." Don turned to Aiden as the kid headed off. "What do you think?"

"Definitely grieving." Aiden stated. "He doesn't know anything, Flack."

"Glad we're on the same page." Don got back in the car. "Back to the drawing board."

Aiden sighed and followed his lead. "Don, are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You're lying through your teeth, Flack." Aiden disagreed. "Talk to me."

"She spoke fluent French."

Aiden frowned. "Who? Angell?"

Don nodded with a fond smile. "It took me like four months to get her to tell me her first name. And we'd been dating for at least six before I found out she was bilingual."

"You found out this case?" Aiden guessed, deciding not to comment on the earlier unlikelihood of one of his relationships lasting longer than six weeks, let alone six months.

"Yeah." Don sighed. "She's gone, Aiden. I came back to work because I thought it'd take my mind off her; keep me busy. But her desk's empty. I sit doing paperwork and I can still hear her laugh … smell her hair. And then I look up and she's gone. And I know she's never coming back."

Aiden didn't say anything, reaching across to squeeze his hand comfortingly, feeling guiltier by the second. The silence was broken by her cell-phone ringing and she answered automatically. "Burn."

"_Aiden, it's Adam. Lindsay just called."_

* * *

Lindsay could see through the kitchen window that the sky was greyer than usual and smiled to herself. Maybe she was right about a white Christmas.

After an hour, Jess's parents had left, thanking her for looking after their daughter and asking her to call them if anything changed. She, of course, had agreed and gone back to her day off, although now in a much better mood than she had woken up in.

Lucy had fallen asleep and Lindsay put her down in the nursery, before settling down on the couch with a book; something she hadn't done for a long time. She didn't know how long it was before her phone rang, but the apartment had gotten darker and it was that which led her to look out of the window and wonder about a white Christmas.

Grabbing her cell phone from the side table, she glanced at the screen before answering, her smile widening. "Hey babe."

"_Hey, how's Jess?"_

"Still out." Lindsay let her eyes wander to the spare room. "Sorry for not saying anything earlier."

"_Don't worry about it, Montana. Aiden said she'd met you."_

Lindsay could hear the unspoken question. "Yeah, we had a nice chat."

"_Oh yeah? Bout what?"_

"Life, the universe and everything." Lindsay smirked.

"_42." _Danny responded promptly. _"Seriously, Linds, what did you tell her?"_

"Everything." Lindsay stated, all humour gone from her voice. "She'd have found out sooner or later, Danny."

"_I know." _Danny groaned. _"I was just hoping it'd be later rather than sooner."_

"Look at the bright side." Lindsay suggested. "You have to get out of that chair now; you need to be able to run."

"_Ha-ha. Very funny, Montana." _His tone was flat, but she recognised the underlying humour in his voice.

"Did you seriously just phone to find out how likely it is that Aiden's gonna kill you?" Lindsay answered with a giggle.

"_No." _All humour in Danny's voice evaporated. _"This whole thing's made me realise how lucky I am. I'm not gonna be home for another couple hours, because another case has come in, but I just wanted to phone to say I love you."_

Lindsay smiled, slightly tearfully. "I love you too, Danny." She knew how much Don's predicament had shaken him and they had had several conversations like this over the past month, although never over the phone.

"_I'd better go; Adam's just got back with a bagful of evidence from Time Square. Apparently Aiden's chasing up an ID on the guy."_

"Okay, I'll see you when you get home. Love you." Lindsay hung up and dropped her phone back on the side. She was just about to go back to her book when she heard a soft noise and smiled, standing up. "Okay, sweetheart, what's wrong?" She turned the lights up in the nursery and stopped next to the crib.

But Lucy was fast asleep where she'd left her and Lindsay frowned for a second, wondering if maybe she'd imagined it. But then the noise came again, a soft sigh that echoed round the quiet apartment and that definitely didn't come from her daughter.

Quickly, Lindsay left the nursery and moved to the spare room, opening the door quietly. She must have imagined it, she told herself; the chances of Jess waking up on the same day they found out that she was okay had to be low. The thought occurred to her that she could have easily woken up in the autopsy drawer, but she wasn't sure if that horrified her or amused her; Jess's first autopsy had been punctuated by one of the students lying under a sheet and moaning, and she knew that the other woman would have found the irony funny, after the initial terror of waking up in one of those things.

Jessica was lying still, her eyes closed, her face serene, with no sign that the noise had come from her.

Lindsay sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand. "Jess? Jess, can you hear me? If you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

In the back of her mind, she remembered being in that same situation in a hospital room several years previously, just before Jess arrived at the precinct, except back then it was Don who was unconscious and Mac trying to get him to respond.

A soft smile crossed her face. "I've been here before, Jess. And Don recovered, so you have to as well." She thought she felt something around her hand, but it was so slight that she couldn't be sure. "You can hear me, Jess. Come on, give me some sort of sign that you can hear me."

There was no doubt about it this time; Jess's fingers closed around hers and squeezed softly.

Lindsay stiffened slightly. "Jess?" She held her breath and watched as Jess's eyes slowly flickered open.

**

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**

AN: And this is where Pay Up starts to run alongside it. Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: CSI NY doesn't belong to me … well, I own Seasons 1-5 on DVD now, does that count?**

* * *

Chapter Five

"Jess?" Lindsay repeated as Jess's eyes closed again. Releasing her hand, she pressed to shaking fingers against her neck, feeling her pulse stronger than before.

As though the other woman was reading her mind, she inhaled deeply and her breathing evened out, more obviously this time.

"It's okay, Jess." Lindsay soothed, releasing her hand gently. "I'm gonna call Hawkes and then I'll get hold of Don, okay?"

Lindsay stood up and hurried back out into the living room, grabbing the phone and dialling automatically, not even needing to think about the numbers.

"_Hawkes."_

"Doc, it's Lindsay. Did Mac tell you about Jess?"

"_Angell?" _Hawkes repeated. _"No. What about her?"_

Lindsay sighed. "She's not dead, just unconscious, and she just woke up. I kinda need you here; she's in my spare room."

"_Alright, Lindsay, I'm on my way."_

Lindsay barely waited for the dialling tone before running through another number, knowing from experience that Don's phone was either turned off or nowhere near him.

"_Adam Ross."_

"Adam, it's Lindsay; Jess is awake. You know where Flack is?"

"_Yeah, he's with Aiden, looking for an ID for our vic."_

"Good; that's …" Lindsay frowned. "How is he back at work? I've got both his guns."

"_He had another spare." _Adam explained apologetically.

"I'm gonna kill him." Lindsay muttered.

"_I told him you would."_

Lindsay smiled. "Right, you need to call Aiden; tell her that Jess woke up, that Hawkes is on his way and I want Don here as soon as possible."

"_Right."_

Lindsay hung up for the second time in as many minutes and went back to the spare room, offering up a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening.

* * *

"_Aiden, it's Adam. Lindsay just called."_

Aiden cast a glance at Don, who seemed lost in his thoughts, oblivious to her. "What did she say?"

"_She said that Jess woke up briefly; she's called Doc to check her over, but she wants us to get Flack there ASAP."_

"Got it." Aiden assured him. "I'll tell him. Later." She hung up. "That was Adam. I think I'd better drive."

"What did he find?" Don asked, getting out the car without question.

Aiden shifted across to the driver's seat, feeling guilty; it normally took a good five minutes for her to convince him to let her drive. "Nothing." She answered once he was back in the car. "At least, nothing to do with the case."

"Then why do you need to drive?" Don prompted.

Aiden sighed, pulling out into traffic. "First of all, I'm sorry I didn't say anything earlier, but Lindsay wanted us to wait; something about not losing her again."

"Losing who again?" Don asked with a confused frown.

"Sid started Detective Angell's autopsy this morning." Aiden stated, seeing his expression turn haunted. She struggled to find a good way of explaining what had happened without sounding crazy and, eventually, just gave up. "Or, rather, he didn't, because he and Lindsay realised that she still had a pulse."

"What?" Don stared at her for a few minutes. "You're telling me Jess is still alive?"

"That's what I'm telling you." Aiden glanced at him. "Her parents and the team know. Lindsay suggested we wait until she woke up before telling you and everyone else."

"And she has?" Don guessed, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

"Briefly." Aiden told him gently. "But Hawkes should be there now; I'll drop you off and head into the lab."

* * *

"You're sure she woke up?" Hawkes asked as Lindsay let him into the apartment. "It wasn't just a reflex movement?"

"No, her eyes opened." Lindsay gestured towards the spare room. "I asked Adam to get hold of Don. She's gonna be alright, right? That's why she opened her eyes."

"I don't know." Hawkes set his case down. "I tell you, if you'd told me yesterday I'd be doing this, I'd have thought you were crazy." Like Lindsay, he lifted Jess's hand. "Detective Angell? Jessica, I need you to open your eyes for me. Did she say anything?"

"No." Lindsay wrapped her arms around herself as a soft wail started somewhere else in the apartment. "She just opened her eyes and closed them again. That's Lucy; excuse me."

"Sure." Hawkes squeezed again. "Jessica, you need to open your eyes again. Is it the light? If you want me to turn the light down, squeeze my hand."

Her fingers contracted lightly against his and he released her hand to dim the lights.

"Okay, Jessica, you can open your eyes now."

For a second, nothing happened; then her eyes fluttered open again. "Doc?" Her voice was quiet and hoarse, shaky with misuse.

"Hang on." Hawkes told her. "Don't try to talk." He opened his case and pulled out a bottle of water, holding it to her lips. "Here."

Jess swallowed and managed a small smile. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." Hawkes pulled out a torch. "Okay, Jessica, I need to check you for injuries now; do you remember what happened?"

"Not really." Jess stared straight ahead as he shone the torch in to her eyes. "I remember Mac asking for my help with an undercover job."

"Uh huh?" Hawkes pulled the covers down slightly. "Can you pull your shirt up a bit? That's it."

The wound was nasty, spread across her abdomen. By now, it had more or less healed completely, new skin almost covering the stitches.

"What happened to me?" Jess whispered, staring at it.

"You were shot." Hawkes told her. "What was the undercover job to do with?"

"Suspect X." Jess frowned. "No. No, that's already happened. A while ago. I remember…"

"It doesn't have to seem important." Hawkes said quietly. "Just tell me the last thing you remember doing."

Jess was quiet for a minute. "Phoning Don."

"Alright, do you remember what day it was?" Hawkes pressed.

"Wednesday." Jess responded immediately. "It was … it was my day off." Her face lit up suddenly as Lindsay came back with Lucy, who reached out for her.

Lindsay glanced at Hawkes, who nodded, before she placed the baby in Jess's outstretched arms.

"Hey, beautiful girl!" Jess cooed. "Haven't you grown bigger!"

"Jess, we need to know how much you remember." Lindsay told her. "What were you talking to Flack about?"

"We were…" Jess blushed lightly, still used to keeping their relationship quiet. "We were making plans to meet up when I got off shift." She frowned. "But it was my day off. Why was I at work?"

"Only you can answer that." Hawkes said. "We need to let your memory come back on its own."

Jess sighed. "Okay. I … I was escorting Connor Dunbrook to the courthouse. Benson's daughter was sick." She nodded. "Yeah, that's right. He couldn't do it, so the captain pulled me in. Dunbrook treated us to breakfast. Don was teasing me about how predictable my choice of menu was."

A loud knocking started at the door and Lindsay took Lucy back to go and answer it.

"Keep going." Hawkes prompted when Jess faltered.

"There … there was a crash and … an 18-wheeler came through the store-front …" Jess swallowed hard.

"… I don't care, Lindsay; I need to see her …"

"I think I shot him … I don't remember …" Jess's breathing quickened slightly and tears began forming in her dark eyes, her memory flooding back and promptly making her wish she couldn't remember again. "I remember my stomach hurting and … Don talking to me … is he here? I need to see him."

"Jess…" Hawkes began.

"I know." Jess interrupted. "I know I need to be checked over, but I need to see him. Please."

"Alright." Hawkes went to the door. "It's okay, Linds."

He disappeared through the doorway and Don appeared in it. "Jess…"

"Hey." Jess whispered, fighting to keep the tears back. "Why aren't I in hospital?"

"You were." Don moved towards her almost automatically, falling to his knees beside her, taking her hand in his. "You alright?"

"My stomach hurts." Jess murmured. "And I'm a little stiff. How long was I out?"

"A month." Don answered, leaning forwards to kiss her forehead. "God, Jess, we thought …"

"Hey," Jess repeated, reaching to cup his face. "I'm fine."

"I know." Don closed his eyes for a second and when he opened them, her tears were mirrored in their blue depths.

"What happened?" Jess asked again. "Why's everyone acting like they've seen a ghost?"

"Well, technically we have." Lindsay answered from the doorway.

"They pronounced you dead, Jessica." Hawkes explained, coming back in. "Your heart stopped after the surgery to repair the damage and they pronounced you dead after 20 minutes. It wasn't until Sid went to start the autopsy that we found out you're alive."

"That's not that impressive." Jess insisted, looking from one face to the next. "Is it?"

"Jess, the shooting was a month ago." Don told her quietly. "The autopsy was this morning. You got that paper, Lindsay?"

"Yeah." Lindsay disappeared from view for a few seconds. "Couldn't bring myself to throw it out." She came back holding a copy of _The Post_, a photograph of Jess when she was a uniform adorning the headline: _NYPD's Finest – Homicide Detective gunned down in the line of duty._

"Oh God …" Jess reached for the paper and Lindsay handed it over, albeit reluctantly. "Am I okay?"

"You seem to be." Hawkes assured her. "You being alive has been kept quiet, so it's up to you when and where we announce that. I'd feel better – and I know any other doctor would agree – if you stayed with someone, as opposed to going home, and you'll need to get those stitches removed, but I'd give it another couple days before you do that."

"What about work?" Jess asked.

"You'll need to pass a physical and psychological eval before the captain even considers letting you back in the field." Don answered for the doc. "I had to go through the exact same thing."

"You're welcome to stay here, Jess." Lindsay told her sincerely. "But it's completely up to you."

"Thanks, Lindsay, but you've got Lucy to look after." Jess smiled weakly. "You don't need me as well."

"Then come and stay with me." Don suggested, squeezing her hand.

Jess turned to argue, to say that she didn't need looking after. Then she caught the expression in his eyes, one of pain and fear. "Okay. If you're sure…"

"I am." Don insisted.

"Alright then." Hawkes closed his case again. "I gotta get back to work. I'm glad you're okay, Jess. See you later, Linds, Flack."

"I'm gonna take Lucy out since you're both up." Lindsay stated, glancing out the window. "I'll stop by the precinct and tell them you're okay."

"Do Mom and Dad know?" Jess asked.

"Yeah, I told them this morning." Lindsay assured her. "You two alright?"

"Yeah, we're good." Don told her, keeping his eyes on Jess's face.

"Hey Doc, can I sit up?" Jess called after him as he and Lindsay left the spare room.

"Sure, but I wouldn't try walking yet." Hawkes responded. "See you later guys."

Seconds after the door closed behind him, Lindsay called out her own goodbye and the door shut again.

Propping herself up on her elbows, Jess winced at the stab of pain that shot through her abdomen.

"You okay?" Don asked immediately, moving an extra pillow behind her.

"Yeah." Jess exhaled slowly, feeling the pain recede. "I'm fine. Are you? Okay, I mean."

Don shook his head slowly. "Jess, you're alive. To be honest, I'm still terrified I'm about to wake up and find this has all been some amazing dream. I've relived every moment we ever spent together time and time again and all I could do was wish that I'd told you …"

"Told me what?" Jess asked quietly when he trailed off.

Don met her eyes, moving to wrap his arms around her. "That I love you, Jess. With you gone, my world came shuddering to a halt. And I couldn't save you; that's what hurt. Every day, I put murderers behind bars and save thousands of potential victims, but I couldn't save the one person I cared about."

Losing her battle with tears, Jess clung to him, feeling herself break in his embrace, ignoring the pain as she moved. She could feel his strong hold around his waist and his hands stroking her hair, but her mind seemed to have been cast back to the hospital, remembering the shock of realising that they thought she was dead, realising that she could easily be buried alive. Her grip tightened and she forced herself to focus on the fact that she_ was_ alive, that he _was _still there and that she _was_ safe, safe in his arms once again.

"I was so scared. I love you so much. Please stay with me."

It took Jess a few minutes to decipher the words and a few minutes longer to realise that they were coming from her mouth and not his.

Don was rocking her carefully, his fingers raking through her dark hair, murmuring softly to her. "It's alright, Jess; it's okay. You're safe now; I'm not going anywhere."

"What if he comes back?" Jess whispered, knowing that the fear was irrational even as the words left her mouth.

"He won't, Jess; I promise." Don kissed her forehead. "He's dead."

"Dead?" Jess repeated, pulling back to meet his eyes. "How?"

"I shot him." Don answered evenly. "He was killed resisting arrest."

"Don, you never take a man down if you don't have to." Jess disagreed, seeing him avoid her gaze. "And given that I know I already plugged two into his shoulder, I doubt he was resisting that much."

Don sighed. "Alright. I never could lie to you. When I caught up with him, he was on the ground. I saw the gun on the floor and the wound in his shoulder and I knew … I pulled the trigger, Jess. I'm not proud of it, but I don't regret it, not for a second."

"But you bleed blue!" Jess protested weakly. "What happens if IA find out?"

"The only people who know what happened are Danny and I. And now you." Don soothed. "I think the others have an idea, but no one's gonna say anything."

"But what if they do?" Jess pressed. "What happens if you lose your job? You always said nothing was worth that; we've seen cops get close to doing that before, remember?"

"That was before I realised what they were going through." Don admitted quietly, cupping her face. "I used to think there was nothing more important than my career – although you were a close second – but I know now that there is nothing more important to me than you." He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers; the kiss was soft, sweet, but with an edge of desperation that confirmed his words.

Jess pulled away first, resting her forehead on his, her hands still clutching his shirt, reluctant to release him. "I love you, Don. I'm not going anywhere." Her eyes slid to the paper that lay on the bed. "I am a little curious as to what they wrote though."

Don chuckled. "Yeah, I would've found it a little funny if it wasn't you."

Curiosity now more than peaked, Jess picked up the paper and opened it to the first page, to find a full obituary. Scanning it quickly, she realised what was so amusing; for all the many quotes claiming the impact she had had on someone's life and how much she would be missed, there was not one name she actually recognised. "Who are these people?"

"Higher-ups who wanted some good publicity to show that they really do care for the little people." Don answered sarcastically.

Jess shook her head, about to close the paper and discard it, when a small passage near the end caught her eye. _One of Detective Angell's colleagues had this to say: "She was, without a doubt, the best homicide detective I've worked with. Jessica was an amazing woman, whose love, strength and compassion touched the lives of everyone she came in contact with. If she were here right now, she'd be telling me off for even thinking what I'm about to say, but her name didn't lie; she was NYPD's angel." _"Not all of them." She pointed to the quote. "That was you."

Don's face flushed slightly, proving her right. "How did you know?"

"Because everyone else at the precinct would say that _you _were the best homicide detective they'd worked with." Jess stated. "Plus, you're my partner; you'd be the person the captain asked to make a statement. Not to mention, you're the only person who'd dare make a pun like that – NYPD's angel?"

Don smiled and kissed her head. "_My_ angel."

* * *

Several nights after she came to, Jess woke in Don's apartment, a searing pain in her abdomen.

True to her word, she had been staying with him, although she insisted that he kept working, since she didn't need round-the-clock care. As it happened, she was very rarely alone; while he was at work, Lindsay often called round, as did Stella and Aiden – who Jess quite enjoyed talking to about everything, simply because she could look at the situation objectively. Even Don's sister had popped round a couple of times.

Her wound had been behaving itself since the first night after her stitches were removed, but now it made itself very apparent, bringing tears to her eyes.

A glance at the clock told her that Don should be home from work. Slowly, Jess pushed herself into a sitting position. "Don?"

The door to the bathroom opened suddenly and she glanced up, meeting Don's worried gaze. "Jess, you okay?" He took in the pain on her face and the hand clutching her stomach and he winced. "Hang on." He ducked back into the bathroom for a second and emerged with a small tube. "I had the same thing after the bomb; it just acted up for no reason. Hold still." He squeezed some of the cream onto his fingers and pushed her shirt up with his free hand, gently brushing it into the scar.

To her surprise, Jess felt the pain receding. "Wow, that's quick. Thanks."

"No problem." Don put the tube down on the bedside table and kissed her forehead. "Okay?"

"Yeah." Jess settled back down, realising as she did that it was the first time she'd seen her boyfriend shirtless since the shooting; he normally wore a wife beater to bed and either changed in the bathroom or she'd been asleep.

A small stream of moonlight coming from the crack in the curtains reflected off the mirror as he moved, illuminating the room slightly and she narrowed her eyes slightly, seeing an unfamiliar mark on the skin she knew so well. "Don, I thought you were scared of needles."

"I am." Don shuddered at the very thought, rooting through a drawer for a shirt.

_Maybe I'm wrong_. Jess remembered when he'd admitted his fear to her, at the same time she had confessed to her fear of spiders, and knew that his fear was worse than hers. And that was saying something. "So when'd you get a tattoo?"

Don glanced down at his chest and she saw his face turn red in the dim light.

"You're blushing." Jess teased. "Come on. When?"

"About three weeks ago." Don muttered.

The timing wasn't lost on her and her demeanour softened. "Don. Come here."

Abandoning his search, Don sat down on the edge of the bed and Jess flicked on the small lamp at her side.

Her hand reached out of its own accord, her fingers brushing across the words on his chest, directly over his heart: _Forever my Angell._

"If I'm honest," Don murmured, "I was hammered when I made the appointment."

"But not when you had it done?" Jess guessed, knowing that even the seediest places wouldn't take drunk customers. "You're crazy."

"Yeah I am." Don agreed, catching her hand as it withdrew and kissing it. "About you."

Jess's eyes left his torso and met his gaze. "Was that a line, Flack? Did you just bust out your game on me?"

"Game?" Don smirked. "I have no game, Jess. If I do, that's as good as it gets. How's your stomach?"

"There's a mood-killer for you." Jess rolled her eyes. "Better, thanks."

Don smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, Jess; but, if I didn't do something to kill the mood, I couldn't be held responsible for my actions." He laced his fingers with hers. "I don't want to hurt you."

"I know." Jess sighed, tilting her head back as he leant down to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you too." Don murmured, parting from her. "Just let me grab a shirt."

"Forget the shirt." Jess suggested. "Just come and get some sleep. You look exhausted. Did you catch the guy who killed Wexford's brother?"

"Yeah." Don stifled a yawn and slid in next to her. "Apparently, the woman he saw dropping his brother off was married and her husband decided to knock off the 'other guy'."

"Ah." Jess rolled over carefully so she could rest her head on his chest, feeling his hand cover the scar on her stomach protectively. "It wasn't really that simple, was it?"

"Nah." Don chuckled. "Contrary to what he told his brother, 'Mandy' was Kevin's tutor, not his girlfriend; she was helping him get back to school."

"So the poor woman lost her husband and her job at the same time." Jess sighed. "What's wrong with this city?"

"Right now?" Don asked, kissing her forehead. "Absolutely nothing."

**

* * *

**

AN: Sorry if anyone wanted the case to be a bit more detailed than that; I'm not too comfortable with writing crime fics and, if I do, I'd rather that be the focus of the story. And I know that Don and Jess have taken over the story a little bit, but I'm on a bit of a kick …

**So there's one more chapter (that I have planned, anyway) and then this fic is done, which I'm a little sad about, but I have things up my sleeve. Out of interest, does anyone actually read these little AN's? If you do, add a little random something into your review and let me know!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own CSI: New York.**

* * *

Chapter Six

Lindsay closed the oven and wiped her hands on her apron, before hurrying to the door and opening it. "Hey, Aiden."

"Hey." Aiden hugged her. "Happy Christmas! How exhausted are you? Honestly?"

"Very." Lindsay laughed, closing the door. "It feels like I haven't slept in a week and I've only been up a few hours."

"Where's Lucy?" Aiden asked curiously.

"It's naptime." Lindsay responded.

"And Danny?"

"It's naptime." Lindsay repeated. "He's fast asleep on the couch, Lucy's with him and I haven't got the heart to wake either of them.

Aiden glanced into the living room as she passed, seeing Lucy curled up like a puppy on Danny's chest. "This is a beautiful house, Lindsay; did you know Danny had done this?"

Lindsay smiled. The day before, Danny had insisted they go out as a family and had directed her – unable to drive himself – to a beautiful two-storey house in Queens. It was exactly the sort of house she had always dreamed of raising a family in, with soft white walls, a park nearby and a backyard that was just big enough for their family. Then, with a smile, he had handed her the keys and kissed her, telling her it was theirs.

"I had no idea." Lindsay laughed. "I'd already invited everyone round today, but I was expecting to have to fit everyone in to the apartment."

Aiden pulled herself up on to the counter. "Is Lucy enjoying her first Christmas?"

Lindsay smiled softly, going back to stirring the stuffing. "I don't think she really understands the concepts of presents, but she likes the colours and Louie adores her."

"Louie?" Aiden repeated. Her curiosity was answered by a soft clicking on the floor and a terrier puppy trotted up to her, nosing her hand. "Oh, he's lovely!"

"Yeah, Christmas present from the lab; Hawkes dropped him round this morning." Lindsay grinned as the doorbell went again. "Do you mind answering that?"

"Sure." Aiden hopped down again and disappeared, Louie trotting along at her heels.

Lindsay carefully poured the stuffing on to a tray, spreading it out. She thought back to last Christmas, when she and Danny had only just gotten back together; she could never have known that in just twelve months time, she would be cooking Christmas dinner in the kitchen of their first house, on their first Christmas day as a married couple with their first child.

"Merry Christmas, Mrs. Messer!" Don's voice sounded behind her and a kiss landed on the side of her head.

"Merry Christmas to you two too." Lindsay slid the stuffing into the oven and turned around to see that both Don and Jess were wearing identical grins. "You two look very pleased with yourselves. What did you do?"

"Do we want them to answer that?" Aiden questioned with a smirk.

"Mind out the gutter, Burn." Don stated cheerfully. "Where's Danno?"

"Asleep with Lucy." Lindsay answered. "If you can get her into her crib without waking her up, by all means, get him up."

"Right, Linds."

Lindsay pulled a chair out at the kitchen table. "Sit down, Jess; you shouldn't be on your feet for long."

Jess sighed, but did as she was told. "I'm alright, you know."

"I know." Lindsay smiled sympathetically at her. "But you're just gonna have to deal with us worrying about you."

Jess sighed again, but this time with mock-exasperation. "Fine! I suppose I can live with that." She reached down to scratch Louie's head as he came over to investigate this new visitor.

"So why are you so happy?" Aiden asked.

"Don suggested we make this whole 'living together' thing permanent, not just until I've recovered." Jess explained, glancing up as Don reappeared with a sleeping Lucy and taking her from him. "What are you planning?"

"Nothing." Don smiled innocently at her, kissed her forehead and vanished again.

"Oh boy." Jess sighed. "Do you like your husband with his heart the way it is?"

"Danny's made of stronger stuff that you think." Aiden assured her. "He can take whatever Flack throws at him and then some."

"Alright, I'll take your word for it." Jess looked down and bounced Lucy softly in her arms as she stirred. "I just hope whatever it is doesn't wake the baby."

"Don wouldn't dare." Lindsay stated quietly. "If he does, you're losing a room-mate."

There was a splash and a thud from the other room, followed by a low groan. "Flack, I hate you right now."

Lindsay sighed. "He just got water all over the couch, didn't he?"

Aiden stuck her head round the door. "Yup."

Lindsay sighed wearily. "Not gonna bother." She smiled at Jess. "So you and Don, huh? You seen his tattoo yet?"

"Yeah." Jess blushed lightly. "I can't believe he did that."

"Neither could I." Lindsay shook her head. "He really loves you, Jess."

"And Danny really loves you." Aiden added. "So congratulations, ladies, for successfully taming the two players of NYPD. I salute you."

"You'll need a drink for that." Lindsay stated, handing her a glass. "Jess?"

"Non-alcoholic." Jess requested, provoking two knowing looks. "Nuh-uh. Nothing like that. I'm still on meds and it's a bad combination. Believe me, you'd be the first to know if it was anything else."

"What was anything else?" Don asked, wringing water from his shirt. "He's up, Lindsay."

"So I heard." Lindsay muttered.

"These two were just jumping to conclusions." Jess explained, taking the glass Lindsay held out.

"That's non-alcoholic, right?" Don asked, a hint of protectiveness in his voice.

"Yes." Jess sighed. "Of course."

"Oh, my God!"

Lindsay took Lucy from Jess as she jolted awake with a wail. "Stella!"

"Sorry." Stella whispered, although her wide grin stated the exact opposite.

"How'd you two get in?" Lindsay asked, rocking her daughter back into her slumber.

"Danny gave us a key." Man answered, taking his goddaughter from her. "What brought that on, Stella?"

"Probably the same conclusion Lindsay and Aiden jumped to." Jess muttered. "I'm not pregnant, Stella; I'm just on meds."

"Oh." Stella looked a little sheepish. "Yeah, that makes more sense."

"But I think there's a couple of people over on Staten Island who didn't _quite_ hear you." Jess added, trying to lighten the mood.

It worked and everyone laughed; Lindsay recovered first, gesturing towards the door. "Okay, out of the kitchen, all of you. I just need to baste the turkey and then we can open some presents."

If anyone had been about to argue, the mention of gifts shut them up pretty quick and they all filed into the living room, where Danny was attempting to lift himself back into his chair. "Guys, I could use a hand here."

Stella smiled apologetically at him. "Sorry, Danny; your therapist says we should let you do this yourself to get your muscles used to working again."

Danny rolled his eyes. "So none of you are gonna take pity on me; is that it?"

"Hey, I feel your pain, Danny." Jess smiled at him, as she sat down again. "But my own therapist says I shouldn't lift heavy loads."

"Then can't you sweet-talk Flack into helpin' me out?" Danny groaned. "It's Christmas!"

"Well, if you put it that way," Jess shrugged, "Don, give your best friend a hand up; you put him there in the first place."

"You call that sweet-talking me into it?" Don asked. "You're losing your touch, Jess."

"Alright." Jess smirked, gesturing for her boyfriend to lean down closer to her. "Either you help him or I will."

"I'll do it." Don decided, grabbing Danny's arm and helping him into the chair.

"Yeah, I thought you would." Jess muttered, exchanging a grin with Aiden and Stella.

Another knock at the door prompted Lindsay to make a detour to let Adam and Hawkes in, the latter stooping to pat Louie as he raced over to them.

"Alright." Lindsay announced as they joined the others in the living room. "Time for presents. Who wants to go first?"

"I will." Stella reached into the pile under the tree and pulled out a box, checking the label and barely concealing her smile. "Don, this is from all of us; please take the hint."

With a slightly wary expression, Don opened the box and laughed out loud. "Ties?"

"Ties." Stella confirmed with a grin. "I know yours have been getting better – thank you, Jess – but you still need a little help."

"I'll make sure he listens." Jess promised with a smirk.

"My turn." Danny pulled out a present, checked the label and handed it to his wife. "Also from all of us."

Lindsay carefully opened the present and laughed as well, pulling out a t-shirt that read 'NYPD Mommy'. "Do we all have a present like that in there?"

"Pretty much." Stella nodded. "You should see what we sent to Sid's house."

"What?" Jess asked curiously.

"A book called '101 Creepy Medical Stories'." Hawkes sniggered. "I figured he must be running out of his own by now." He picked up another gift. "Mac."

Mac pulled out a pen. "What's this for?"

"Your paperwork." Stella smirked at him. "When you press the button to open it, it starts a timer; if you write for more than three hours non-stop, this happens." She took the pen from him and pressed the button five times in quick succession, causing a female voice to announce, _"You're working too hard; time for a break!"_

Mac chuckled. "So it's you in pocket-form then."

"Pretty much." Stella agreed.

Mac picked out a present and tossed it to Adam. "See if you can guess?"

Adam took in the long, thin shape. "A football?"

Lindsay laughed, taking Lucy from Mac as she woke up again. "Just open it."

Adam lifted out a strap. "Oh, cool, it's for my iPod, right? Crime scene tape."

"Right." Danny nodded.

Adam pulled out a slip of paper. "What's this?" He read it, his eyes going wide. "Is this for real?"

"I don't joke about things like that, Adam." Mac stated.

"What does it say?" Aiden asked.

"It says that I'm eligible to take the exam to become a CSI next year." Adam grinned. "And now I've got your attention, Detective Burn, why don't you take this?"

Aiden took the present from him. "I've been back just over a week; how'd you know I'd be here?"

"We've had that around for a while." Danny shrugged.

Aiden opened it and laughed. "A GPS tracker?"

"That way we know where you are next time you vanish off the face of the earth." Danny explained.

"Oh, very funny." Aiden leaned over, rooted around until she found his name and handed it to him. "See what yours is."

"I can think of several things." Danny balanced the large box on his lap and unwrapped it, pulling out a small padded basinet with brackets down one side; he grinned. "A sidecar?"

"Hey, you said it needed one." Adam got up and strapped it to the side of Danny's wheelchair. "See? Put this teddy bear in here like that."

"And Lucy's along for the ride." Lindsay settled the baby down against the bear. "Oh, but this thing goes anywhere near your bike and you're on the couch for a month, chair or no chair."

Danny winced. "Yes, ma'am."

Lindsay smiled triumphantly and picked up another gift. "Doc."

Hawkes opened it to find a book. "The Encyclopaedia of Titbit Information."

Stella smiled at him. "I thought you might find it interesting; Mac once told me you were the walking version."

"Which means this one," Don picked it up, "is for you, Stella."

"No." Lindsay disagreed, handing her a different gift. "This one's for Stella."

Stella pulled out a picture frame that held a collage of photographs of different CSIs and lab techs, surrounding one large picture of all of them together. "When was this taken?"

"At last year's Christmas party." Lindsay answered. "We had Adam Photoshop them all together and then personalised the frame for you."

Stella traced the wording on the wood at the top, reading them quietly. "η οικογένειά σου είναι ο θυσαυρός σου." She glanced up. "Your family is your treasure."

"Damn right it is." Don agreed. "You always look after us, Stell; it's about time we did something for you. But, in that case, who's this one for?" He held up the last present.

"Stop messing around, Don; you know who it's for." Lindsay chided lightly.

"Oh, right." Don grinned and handed it to Jess. "Merry Christmas."

"Guys, you didn't need to get me anything!" Jess protested. "I haven't…"

"Having you here and alive is all we could have ever asked for." Mac interrupted. "Just open it, smile and say thank you."

Jess couldn't help the laugh that escaped her and pulled the paper off, opening the small box to find a badge. "Honorary CSI." She read. "Oh, that's so sweet of you guys!"

"Hey!" Don frowned. "How long have I worked with you lot?"

"We like her better." Danny stated with a grin.

"Funny, Messer." Don responded. "You're lucky you're in that chair or I'd…"

"This one's not a mock-up." Jess cut him off, pulling out the second badge, her fingers tracing over the familiar numbers at the bottom. "Shouldn't this be in lock-up somewhere?"

"Eh, I pulled some strings." Mac shrugged. "Figured you'd want your own badge back sooner or later."

Jess met his eyes, her own suspiciously bright. "Thank you."

"Hey." Hawkes spoke up. "I think most of these presents under here are for Miss Lucy here. How about we don't keep her waiting any longer?"

"I like that idea." Lindsay stood up. "Let me just check on the food."

Jess smiled and leaned into Don's side, feeling him shift to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"You tired?" He murmured.

"Little bit." Jess admitted. "I'm alright; don't worry. You okay?"

Don kissed her forehead. "You're here, aren't you?"

Lindsay came back in, her gaze almost immediately falling on the two of them. "Don't overstretch yourself, Jess."

"I'm not." Jess assured her. "I'm sitting down and everything. I think Lucy's starting to catch on to the meaning of presents now; you're about to have a very hyperactive child on your hands."

Lindsay glanced over at her daughter and winced. "I see what you mean. Lucy!" She picked up a present. "Look, sweetheart; this is from Nana and Grandpa. Shall we open it and see what it is?"

"It's not a buck-knife, is it?" Danny asked warily.

Lindsay rolled her eyes. "Danny, don't be an idiot. Not even my father would send a three-month-old baby a buck-knife." She pulled the paper away to find a plush horse, complete with saddle. "Aww!"

"Oh, that's so cute!" Jess agreed.

Lindsay picked up a slip of paper that had fallen to the ground. "Daddy says it's a miniature version of the real thing."

"Your parents got her a horse?!" Danny gaped. "How are we gonna top that? More to the point, where are we gonna keep it?"

Lindsay sighed wearily. "Danny, they're not sending the horse _here_. The horse will live with my parents; all of me nieces and nephews have one."

"Hey, look!" Hawkes pointed at the window. "It's snowing!"

"We got a white Christmas after all." Stella commented, following his gaze.

"Just like Christmas in Montana." Lindsay murmured.

Danny took her hand. "Would you believe me if I told you I made it snow just for you?"

Lindsay smiled at him. "No. And that's possibly the cheesiest thing you've ever said to me."

"Careful, Linds." Don warned. "Don't challenge him."

Lindsay rolled her eyes and kissed her husband, before giving Lucy the horse, whereupon she promptly stuck one of its hooves in her mouth.

Aiden smiled, perching on the arm of the couch next to Jess. "It's good to be back."

"Yeah, it is." Jess agreed. "And I don't remember going anywhere."

"Oh, it's so cute!" Lindsay exclaimed, pulling out a pale pink baby version of a lab coat.

Adam grinned. "You're welcome."

"I told you they'd appreciate that more that Guitar Hero." Stella told him.

Aiden turned to Jess. "More than what?"

Don grinned. "Hey, Adam, Aiden's never heard of Guitar Hero."

"You're kidding right?" Adam asked. "It's only, like, the greatest video game invention _ever_!"

Jess sniggered as Adam began explaining the game and how it was played. Lindsay noticed as well, and leaned over to her. "Is it just me or is Aiden actually paying attention to him?"

"It's not just you." Jess confirmed. "I didn't think that was even possible."

Lindsay laughed quietly, before moving over to stop Lucy from sticking a stray piece of wrapping paper in her mouth.

Jess glanced over at Don, who had a suddenly pensive look on his face. "Okay?"

Don started slightly and smiled at her. "Yeah. Just wondering how long it'll take Adam to ask Aiden out."

"You think he will?" Jess asked.

"Why not?" Don shrugged. "He likes her."

Jess smirked. "And she likes him. I bet she beats him to it."

"How much?" Don asked immediately.

"Dinner?" Jess suggested.

"You're on." Don agreed, kissing her quickly.

"Hey guys; no PDA!" Danny protested.

"You know, if Lucy wasn't here, I'd be telling you where to stick it." Don warned.

"But Lucy is here." Lindsay reminded him. "And I know you're not that stupid."

"Are you sure?" Jess asked, humour shining in her eyes.

Don nudged her lightly. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't get you for that later."

"Because you love me." Jess smirked.

His arm tightened around her in response, but his face slipped back into that thoughtful expression.

"Hey." Jess called quietly. "Everything okay?"

Don looked over at Stella, who was kneeling beside Lindsay examining a box of baby-clothes sent by Danny's parents.

Then he looked at Danny, still in his wheelchair, but with his daughter in her little sidecar, both smiles wider than any he'd seen before.

Then he looked at Mac and Hawkes, who were – for want of a better word – bickering about some strangely complicated subject he couldn't make head or tail of; they'd started several days previously and tried to explain it to him, but after a few minutes, he had shaken his head and left them to it, trying desperately to unwind his brain.

Then he looked over at Aiden and Adam, the latter still talking, gesturing about something, but his companion hadn't stopped him yet and was, instead, looking quite interested.

Then he looked back at the woman next to him, a curious expression on her face, love and concern in her eyes.

He thought about how close he came to losing her forever.

He thought about how his relationship with his sister suddenly became the opposite of what it had been for a month; suddenly, she was calling by his apartment late at night, clearing up empty bottles and getting him into bed, before forcing a gallon of coffee down his throat the next morning and lecturing him on what he was doing to himself.

He thought about how lucky he was that someone or something had heard his prayers and given him another chance with his angel.

"Yeah." He answered, a smile appearing on his face as she nestled into his side with a contented sigh. "Everything's perfect."

**

* * *

**

AN: And, folks, that's all she wrote. I'd like to thank everyone for sticking with me through this; I'm going to keep Don and Jess's story going through my series of oneshots, although I'm still not sure how I'll handle Pay Up yet, since I can't even bring myself to watch the actual episode.

**As for Adam and Aiden … I may answer that question, I may not; it remains to be seen.**

**Thanks to ncis-csiNY for correcting the Greek in this chapter - keep those reviews coming!**


	7. AN

**AN: *ducks rotten fruit* I know I've been neglecting my CSI:NY stories lately - my muse all but completely dried up. I'm going to see what I can do, but in the meantime, I've started revising this story, since when I first wrote it a) I hadn't watched that much CSI:NY whereas I've now seen all the episodes and b) I didn't know where Don and Jess were coming from. So the revised version of Kindred Spirits has been posted, and when it's complete, I'll take this version down.**


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